VF: Senior Innovation Designer

VF Outdoor; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

VF Outdoor is seeking a Senior Innovation Designer for Performance Footwear to lead breakthrough concepts and shape the brand's high-performance product ecosystem. You will blend design, biomechanics, and engineering to drive discovery, validation, and scalable solutions that elevate athlete performance.

In this senior role, you will mentor teammates, influence long-term innovation strategy, and deliver manufacturable concepts across cushioning, traction, and upper construction while

Qualifications

• 6-10+ years in performance footwear, industrial design, or highly technical product creation.
• Proven ability to lead ambiguous projects from insight to validated concepts.
• Expert-level sketching, form development, 3D modeling, and storytelling.
• Strong prototyping skills across physical and digital methods.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-phase innovation projects from insight through validated concept handoff.
• Identify long-term opportunity areas and shape multi-year innovation roadmaps.
• Drive early-stage experiments with hypotheses and test methods.
• Mentor junior designers and influence decision-making across teams.
• Present concepts to executives and cross-functional partners with clarity.

Skills

Industrial Design

Design Leadership

Prototyping

Mentoring

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Industrial Design, Product Design, Engineering, Biomechanics

Tools

Rhino

SolidWorks

Alias

Blender

Fusion 360

Job description

At VF, we strive to foster a culture of belonging based on respect, connection, openness, and authenticity. So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us - our values and our culture - visit VF Careers or www.vfc.com .

What will you do?

A day in the life of a Senior Innovation Designer - Performance Footwear at VF looks a little like this.

The Senior Innovation Designer for Performance Footwear is a strategic creative leader responsible for shaping the future of the brand's high-performance product ecosystem. This role drives the discovery, design, and validation of breakthrough concepts that redefine what athletes can achieve. Operating at the intersection of design, biomechanics, engineering, and emerging technology, the Senior Innovation Designer leads complex projects, mentors teammates, and influences long-term innovation strategy.

This is a role for a visionary maker-builder who thrives in ambiguity, pushes boundaries, and can turn unproven ideas into validated, scalable solutions.

The Senior Innovation Designer shapes the future of performance footwear by turning bold ideas into the next generation of athlete solutions. This role not only creates what comes next-it influences how the brand defines innovation for years to come.

Let's break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

Innovation Leadership & Strategy

• Lead multi-phase innovation projects from insight development through validated concept handoff.
• Identify long-term opportunity areas and influence the creation of the multi-year innovation roadmap.
• Drive early-stage experimentation, establishing hypotheses and designing test methods to validate performance claims.
• Communicate project strategy, risk, and impact to cross-functional leadership.

Advanced Concept Creation

• Develop original, high-impact design concepts across cushioning, traction, upper construction, fit systems, and emerging technologies.
• Transform athlete insights, biomechanics data, and material science opportunities into differentiated performance solutions.
• Create visually compelling renderings, prototypes, and narratives that inspire action and alignment.

Prototyping & Technical Exploration

• Build and direct the creation of advanced prototypes using 3D modeling, additive manufacturing, experimental materials, and hands-on methods.
• Partner with engineering, materials, and sports science teams to evaluate function, refine solutions, and push technical feasibility.
• Translate findings into actionable design criteria, technical specifications, and performance requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the design lead across multidisciplinary teams including engineering, materials, testing, product creation, and manufacturing.
• Mentor junior designers; elevate the overall quality of design thinking and technical rigor within the innovation team.
• Influence future-season product lines by delivering validated, manufacturable concepts.

Execution & Communication

• Present innovation concepts to executives, category leaders, athletes, and cross-functional partners with clarity and storytelling excellence.
• Ensure design intent is preserved through iterative prototyping, development, and transfer to product creation teams.
• Produce high-quality documentation including concept decks, functional briefs, technical specs, and design rationale.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you'll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 6-10+ years of experience in performance footwear, advanced concepts, industrial design, or highly technical product creation.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Bachelor's or Master's in Industrial Design, Product Design, Engineering, Biomechanics, or related field.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering innovative solutions in ambiguous environments.
• Expert-level sketching, form development, 3D modeling (Rhino, SolidWorks, Alias, Blender, Fusion), and storytelling.
• Strong prototyping skills across physical and digital methods.
• Ability to guide complex projects and influence decision-making across teams.
• Experience collaborating with engineering, sports science, material development, and athlete testing teams.

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred:

• Experience shipping category-defining or patented products.
• Deep knowledge of performance testing protocols, biomechanics, and athlete insights.
• Background in advanced materials, cushioning platforms, digital manufacturing, or computational design.
• Ability to connect high-level strategic thinking with hands-on execution and prototyping.

Success in role:

• Delivers innovation concepts that meaningfully advance athlete performance and create competitive advantage.
• Demonstrates strategic thought leadership and elevates the innovation