Senior Footwear Developer, Innovation, Asia

Brooks Sports Inc; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Brooks Sports Inc. seeks a Senior Footwear Developer, Innovation, Asia, to lead product development of cutting-edge running footwear concepts and technologies. You will guide cross-functional teams across design, engineering, and manufacturing to translate ideas into market-ready products.

The role emphasizes advanced R&D, pattern engineering, and collaboration with global partners to push performance while maintaining Brooks quality and sustainability standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years leading high-performance footwear product development.
• Deep knowledge of outsole/midsole design, materials and construction.
• Experience with prototype development, testing and cost considerations.
• Strong English communication and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple innovation projects from brief through commercialization.
• Define plans, schedules and milestones for on-time delivery.
• Oversee prototyping, testing and validation of concepts.
• Collaborate with global partners and internal teams to ensure manufacturability.
• Drive new materials and technologies to improve performance.

Skills

Product development

Footwear construction

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Prototype testing

Material selection

Communication in English

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering

Biomechanics

Design

Tools

Illustrator

MS Office

Job description

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:

• Runner First
  • We act in the best interest of the runner
• Word is Bond
  • We do what we say we’ll do
• Champion Heart
  • We give our all in everything we do
• There is no “I” in Run
  • We stay generous with our humanity
• Keep Moving
  • We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.

Your Job:

The Brooks innovation group is a team of world-class innovative minds focused on improving the performance running experience through product, experiential and biomechanical innovation. They constantly challenge assumptions of how products are made and together they shape the future of running footwear. They stretch the limits of science and human performance with every innovation and are relentlessly focused on changes that benefit the Brooks runner. They forge relationships with manufacturing partners and suppliers, uncovering new partnerships with global industry leaders to develop groundbreaking products and bring new Brooks innovations to life. The Innovation team operates across the full range of product creation, merchandising, brand strategy, sourcing, and new business development to relentlessly pursue methods to make better-performing, higher-quality and sustainable products faster and more efficiently than ever before.

As our Senior Footwear Developer, Innovation, Asia, you will utilize your advanced product and process knowledge to lead and manage the product development of innovation programs that will drive the future of Brooks Running. Your primary responsibility will be centered on delivering innovative product concepts and identifying new technologies for our runners.

You will create, manage, and lead project timelines across the innovation triad driving the research, prototyping and validation of ideas through the advanced R&D process delivering products directly to market and ready for in-line technologies. You will work with a global, cross-functional product creation team from the collection of insights through commercialization to deliver products that provide new running experiences and exceed runner expectations. You will lead the work with strategic partners outside of Brooks to cultivate new ideas and deliver groundbreaking products that challenge and shape the future of running.

In this role you will continue to partner with more senior members of the Footwear Innovation team to hone your technical footwear expertise while you proactively present new ideas or technologies to support your projects.

Your Responsibilities:

INNOVATION

• Manage multiple innovation projects from Brief & Research through Design, Development & Validation and into Commercialization & Manufacturing, acting as the primary leader for development projects from the Asia side.
• Create and implement comprehensive project plans and schedules aligned with critical deadlines to ensure on-time delivery of samples for key meetings and milestones, including validation processes, technology transfers, and final product or technology approval.
• Manage the prototyping, testing and validation of concepts through your advanced problem solving and product creation skills: pattern making and construction techniques; blueprints revisions (technical packages), mold creation and midsole/ outsole making; Lab, fit, wear testing.
• Display an in-depth knowledge of performance running shoe making, the manufacturing process and the ability to manipulate it to advance and achieve new manufacturing techniques which enhance the performance and efficiency of product.
• Independently drive innovation initiatives – through creative problem solving or new idea validation – that align with Brooks Innovation strategy.
• Explore and validate new materials, processes and technologies to ensure state-of-the-art shoe creation with the objective of maximizing runner experience and performance, for both our everyday runner and our elite athletes.
• Work with the Innovation Manager to further define and implement the Innovation process with all its steps and milestones.

INTERNAL & EXTERNAL PARTNERSHIP

• Key counterpart to the US-based Developer as a liaison to Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners, engineering, costing, materials, testing lab, and manufacturing to ensure that products are manufacturable and meet performance and quality expectations.
• Act as a technical consultant to product teams on materials, components and construction decisions to meet product’s functional goals, and ensure product performance integrity through product testing (physical and field testing).
• Initiate and lead meetings with product teams during various phases of development to review, evaluate, update and ultimately drive the decision-making process that leads to high performance, quality and cost efficient on–time production confirmation.
• Lead and participate in development trips, 4 - 5 per year, to work with manufacturers and suppliers on existing and current development projects.
• Manage relationships with existing partners. Promote innovative thinking and approach within our external network.
• Build strong working knowledge of vendor capabilities, performance, factory relationships, quality issues, materials pricing, and lead times.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in English, Engineering, Design, Biomechanics or other applicable technical degrees or equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• 5+ successful years of experience leading the product development of high-performance footwear projects. Experience in development of Athlete or Innovation projects is a plus.
• Technical expertise in footwear product development with an advanced knowledge of the total footwear construction process including outsole/midsole drawing, pattern engineering, upper and bottom materials, shoe construction, testing and costing.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing techniques, anticipating issues, providing insight for complex constructions and problem solving with timely resolution.
• Experience and technical knowledge in the development of midsole foams, composite/carbon plates, Track & Field, or cleated products is preferred. Having worked previously with athletes or sport science labs and genuine interest in the latest running research is must.
• Proficient in project management, including project planning, organization, and effective communication with internal and external stakeholders, as well as facilitating seamless project transfer to other teams. Strong attention to detail through planning and execution.
• Demonstrated ability to develop highly productive relationships with individuals and teams that are made up of diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds resulting in effective working relationships across the company
• Experience establishing and managing relationships with new and existing T1, T2 and T3 suppliers. Capable of communicating complex ideas and promoting innovative thinking in our partner network.
• Innovation and curious mindset. Proven track record of bringing creative ideas to the table and exploring innovative ways to build technically complex prototypes. Looking to improve Brooks’ products and processes.
• Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our consumers, our partners, our products or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, with the capacity to convey new ideas, concepts and functional expertise within project teams and to external stakeholders.
• Strong computer skills including professional knowledge of MS Office software (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, etc.), Illustrator or other electronic means to communicate new concepts or ideas preferred. Technical writing capability a plus.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed, as well as organizing development and exploration trips.
• Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our consumers and the Brooks community.
• Embraces and lives the Brooks values!

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.