Lead Footwear Materials Designer

Status: 12-Month Contract (possibly extended)
Job Title: Lead Footwear Materials Designer
Location: Onsite in Beaverton, OR
Salary: $50/hr
About the company:
We do more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries, and push out the edges of what can be. Our company looks for people who can grow, think, dream, and create. Our culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The brand seeks achievers, leaders, and visionaries. We are about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving environment.
We are a technology company. From our flagship website and five-star mobile apps to developing products, managing big data, and providing leading-edge engineering and systems support, our teams exist to revolutionize the future at the confluence of tech and sport. We invest in and develop advances in technology and employ the most creative people in the world, and then give them the support to constantly innovate, iterate, and serve consumers more directly and personally. Our teams are innovative, diverse, multidisciplinary, and collaborative, taking technology into the future and bringing the world with us.
Lead Footwear Materials Designer:
Our client is seeking a Lead Footwear Materials Designer to help shape the next generation of innovative performance footwear, partnering closely with cross-functional teams to bring concept-driven products to life from early ideation through execution. This is an exciting opportunity for a highly creative and technically skilled designer who thrives in collaborative environments, enjoys solving complex design challenges, and brings a strong understanding of materials, storytelling, and consumer-driven product creation. The ideal candidate is a self-directed designer with a passion for performance product, innovation, and pushing material possibilities forward.
This role is a hybrid model in Beaverton, Oregon.
Lead Footwear Materials Designer Responsibilities:
Lead the material design process for innovative footwear concepts, translating creative direction into compelling material solutions that balance performance, function, and visual impact.
Develop and execute material concepts for weather-adapted and performance-focused footwear, with an emphasis on durability, breathability, protection, and consumer relevance.
Partner closely with cross-functional teams including product design, color, graphics, development, engineering, and related stakeholders to ensure alignment throughout the product creation process.
Research, explore, and propose new material applications, finishes, and construction methods that elevate both product performance and aesthetic storytelling.
Create high-quality visual presentations, design documentation, and concept renderings using Adobe Creative Suite and digital design tools.
Build mockups, prototypes, and material studies to support concept validation and design evolution.
Translate consumer insights, market trends, and performance needs into innovative material strategies and product narratives.
Present design concepts clearly and confidently to internal teams, incorporating feedback while maintaining design intent.
Contribute to a highly collaborative creative environment by helping drive innovation, idea generation, and executional excellence across the footwear design process.
Lead Footwear Materials Designer Qualifications:
5–7+ years of experience in footwear materials design, textile design, product design, or a closely related field.
Strong understanding of footwear materials, including technical knowledge of wovens, knits, synthetics, coatings, and performance-driven material applications.
Highly proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, including Illustrator, Photoshop, and related design tools.
Experience creating 3D renderings, digital concept visualizations, or similar product design assets is strongly preferred.
Hands-on experience with prototyping, material sampling, mockups, or concept model creation is highly desirable.
Previous experience within footwear, performance product, outdoor gear, or a related consumer product environment is strongly preferred.
Ability to work independently with minimal oversight while successfully managing priorities in a fast-paced creative environment.
Strong communication, presentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Passion for sports, outdoor performance, or technical product innovation is highly valued.
Bachelor’s degree in design, textiles, industrial design, product design, or a related discipline is preferred, but equivalent professional experience will be considered.
A relevant design portfolio showcasing applicable product or material design work is required for consideration.