Senior Manager, Color Design Global - Converse

Converse; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 133,000 - 279,000; Full time

Job summary

Converse is seeking a Senior Manager, Color Design Global to lead the color strategy for lifestyle footwear across global teams. You will curate seasonal palettes, translate consumer insights into color narratives, and drive color excellence from ideation to commercialization.

You will collaborate with Design, Materials, Graphics and Development to ensure cohesive storytelling, balance performance with sustainability, and mentor a globally dispersed Color Design team.

Qualifications

• Must submit a design portfolio.
• 10+ years in color design or related footwear design.
• Strong understanding of fashion trends and culture.
• Ability to lead and inspire globally distributed teams.
• Experience turning consumer insights into color concepts.
• Organizational skills to manage multiple workstreams.

Responsibilities

• Management of color excellence across a globally based Color Design team
• Create original, industry-leading material strategies and palettes, as well as oversee color narratives and color application for lifestyle footwear collections.
• Develop color trend insights methodologies, utilizing the global Color Design team for research inputs, aggregating those findings into seasonal narratives, consumer insights, and product expression goals
• Translate consumer and cultural insights into innovative color solutions
• Explore and implement new color expressions through constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques
• Build and refine color palettes that elevate product expression across multiple franchises and product tiers
• Partner with Design, Materials, Graphics, and Development teams to ensure cohesive product storytelling
• Drive innovation through color exploration while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability goals
• Lead presentations and communicate color design intent to internal and external stakeholders
• Influence and align cross-functional teams around color strategy and creative direction. Implement modern tools and ways of working to increase speed and efficiency within the Color design team

Skills

Color design

Footwear design

Leadership

Trend forecasting

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication

Organization

Education

Flexible education/experience

Job description

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $133,100.00 in our lowest geographic market to $279,100.00 in our highest geographic market. Actual salary will vary based on a candidate's location, qualifications, skills and experience.

Information about benefits can be found here.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

You will be part of the Converse Global Trend & Expression Design team, working at the intersection of trend, color & craftsmanship, global sportwear and fashion culture. This role collaborates closely with cross-functional partners acrossFootwear Design, Material Design, Graphic Design, Product Marketing, and Footwear & Color/Material Development to deliver industry-leading product expressions.

You will research on an ongoing basis, staying on the pulse of culture and color trends, helping to inform and execute a strong Converse color strategy, seasonal creative direction and color application excellence. You will be working closely with the Trend & Expression leadership team as well as manage a globally based Color Design team. This role reports directly to theSenior Direction, Trend & Expression Global.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for an inspiring visionary who combines creative vision, technical expertise, strategic thinking, and strong leadership to help shape the future of Color Design at Converse.

The ideal candidate is an independent creative leader with a strong point of view on color trends, consumer needs, cultural relevance, and emotive color application on footwear. Through ongoing research, deep consumer connection, and a strong understanding of fashion industry trends, this role balances the art and science of color design and trend forecasting to identify meaningful patterns that inform global direction. They thrive on solving complex design challenges, translating insights into compelling product narratives and color solutions that elevate the consumer experience, deliver both performance benefit and emotional connection, and bring a keen eye for detail to premium expressions on existing silhouettes.

The ideal candidate:

• Brings a portfolio that demonstrates excellence in color design or related product design disciplines
• Has 10+ years of relevant experience in color design, footwear design, or
• Will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training
• Demonstrates a deep understanding of fashion trends, footwear and fashion culture, consumer insights, and lifestyle product creation
• Has experience developing color concepts from ideation through commercialization
• Translates consumer insights into compelling narratives, product solutions and company wide color palette systems
• Operates as a proactive and highly collaborative partner across functions
• Is highly organized and able to effectively prioritize across multiple workstreams and globally based teams. Has experience leading and inspiring teams
• Thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Brings a passion for the emotional value of color design and excellence

To be considered, you must submit a design portfolio.

WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON

As a Senior Manager, Color Design Global, you will remain closely connected to footwear culture and fashion trend insights, leading the curation and development of seasonal and foundational strategies and palettes, color concepts and execution across lifestyle products. Your work will span the full product creation journey, from concept development, palette building, product storytelling through to sell in toolkits. You will create color expressions that address consumer needs while elevating product expression through color, finish, and innovation.

A typical day may include trend research, palette building, cross functional team collaboration, project management, sample reviews, team-building and skill-building a globally based team, narrative development, and cross-functional working sessions with design and development teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Management of color excellence across a globally based Color Design team
• Create original, industry-leading material strategies and palettes, as well as oversee color narratives and color application for lifestyle footwear collections.
• Develop color trend insights methodologies, utilizing the global Color Design team for research inputs, aggregating those findings into seasonal narratives, consumer insights, and product expression goals
• Translate consumer and cultural insights into innovative color solutions
• Explore and implement new color expressions through constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques
• Build and refine color palettes that elevate product expression across multiple franchises and product tiers
• Partner with Design, Materials, Graphics, and Development teams to ensure cohesive product storytelling
• Drive innovation through color exploration while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability goals
• Lead presentations and communicate color design intent to internal and external stakeholders
• Influence and align cross-functional teams around color strategy and creative direction. Implement modern tools and ways of working to increase speed and efficiency within the Color design team

We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.