Racing Footwear Innovation Engineer II

Brooks Running; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 98,000 - 147,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Product discounts

Employee recognition

Fitness discounts

Volunteer and donation benefits

Job summary

Brooks Running seeks a Footwear Innovation Developer II – Racing Footwear to join our Seattle team. You will work with cross-functional partners from insight through commercialization to deliver high-performing racing footwear for Brooks athletes and runners of all levels.

The role requires hands-on experience in outsole/midsole 2D/3D, pattern engineering, materials, and costing; you will influence design and manufacturing decisions and travel for athlete testing and development trips.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Biomechanics, Engineering, Kinesiology, Desing or related technical field; equivalent combination of education and years of experience can be considered in lieu of degree(s)
• 5+ successful years’ experience leading the development of high performance, technical running footwear projects; experience developing track & field spikes and/or road racing shoes
• Expertise in technical running footwear product development, process, project management, costing, and manufacturing of product from conception to athlete race day
• Proven ability to lead and influence in a collaborative, cross-functional group without command/control to meet strategic objectives
• Experience participating in and/or high knowledge of nuances surrounding track & field events and road racing; knowledge of World Athletics footwear competition rules and regulations
• Experience developing plates and other thermoplastic materials through injection and carbon fiber molding process
• Demonstrated ability to develop highly productive relationships with individuals and teams across diverse disciplines and cultures

Responsibilities

• Own leading execution and management of multiple New Upper, New Tooling racing footwear projects from brief to final confirmation with factories at overlapping stages
• Deliver on Brooks Fit, Feel, Ride principles and goals via an unwavering dedication to product excellence at every prototype round
• Empathize with elite athletes' needs from racing footwear and craft stories on how their success impacts Brooks Enterprise; collaborate with Sports Marketing and athletes to ensure development timing meets enterprise needs
• Manage racing shoe & track spike development sample and production approval process with World Athletics; act as Brooks technical product expert in WFSGI
• Identify gaps in technologies; lead new innovation technology projects to solve, test, and commercialize for racing footwear
• Partner with vendors and factories to advance manufacturing techniques and product performance
• Collaborate with Design, Asia Development, and PLM teams to ensure manufacturability and cost/quality objectives
• Critique and evaluate technical blueprints, 3D CADs, and materials from performance/manufacturing perspectives
• Recommend material/construct options to meet pricing targets and ensure product testing integrity
• Initiate and lead meetings with product teams to review and drive on-time production decisions
• Collaborate with Research, Development, Marketing, Costing, and Color Teams to show samples meeting category criteria
• Create and build a knowledge base on vendor capabilities, lead times, and market trends
• Keep abreast of market trends and technologies to meet athlete needs; participate in athlete testing and Asia development trips
• Additional responsibilities and projects as assigned

Skills

Footwear development

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication across teams

Athlete footwear knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Biomechanics, Engineering, Kinesiology, Desing or related technical field; equivalent combination of education and years of experience

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

MS Office

Flex PLM

3D CAD

Job description

Brooks Running seeks a Footwear Innovation Developer II – Racing Footwear to join our Seattle team. You will work with cross-functional partners from insight through commercialization to deliver high-performing racing footwear for Brooks athletes and runners of all levels.

The role requires hands-on experience in outsole/midsole 2D/3D, pattern engineering, materials, and costing; you will influence design and manufacturing decisions and travel for athlete testing and development trips.