Senior Director, Footwear Development

Department: Footwear

Reports to: VP, Footwear Development and Engineering

Location: Portland, OR

Your opportunity at Arc’teryx
As the Senior Director, Footwear Development, you will lead the product creation and development process to deliver disruptive, aspirational, and sustainable products to the market. You will oversee the execution of our seasonal footwear plans from design concept through production readiness, ensuring a consistent level of quality, fit, and performance. You will operate at the intersection of balancing the athlete’s needs, technical feasibility and business objectives while you work in lockstep with Merchandising, Design, Manufacturing and other cross‑functional teams to deliver product that inspires the core mountain athlete to reach new levels of performance.

Meet your future team
Our Product Creation Development team is a dynamic group spread across the globe. It sits within our Supply Chain organization and is a center of excellence partner with our Footwear Business Unit. The Arc’teryx Footwear team creates innovative, aesthetically striking product that exceeds the core mountain athlete’s outdoors needs across climbing, hiking, and trail running categories. We are builders, problem solvers and passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Fueled by curiosity, we take an immersive approach to identifying our athlete’s future needs – then, build, test, and validate products that solve for real functional challenges. We are a passionate collective with a focus on collaborative teamwork, and our vision is to redefine the industry.

Core responsibilities

Oversee the footwear product development process from initial concept to commercialization ready, driving sustainability, performance, and profitability goals.

Act as a critical thought partner to Supply Chain and Footwear Leadership Team as we evolve our teams’ strategic priorities.

Collaborate with the Footwear and Sourcing leadership teams to establish and execute a medium to long‑term partner strategy grounded in product excellence, on‑time delivery, quality, and risk mitigation.

Develop recommendations on our future organizational structure and the technical resources needed to support growth, and hire the technical talent needed to address current and future needs.

Foster deep, collaborative partnerships with Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners to ensure Arc’teryx’s standards and processes are agreed upon and followed. Establish technical metrics and scorecards in collaboration with Supply Chain and Footwear team partners and develop a regular cadence of reviewing and acting upon them.

Collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders and establish and drive a footwear innovation agenda. Recommend an approach to finding solutions to the technical aspects of all projects, including leveraging teams in Portland and North Vancouver, external resources, and with Tier 1 partners in Asia.

Provide a strong point of view on and heavily influence our Sustainability agenda and our corporate mission to “Leave It Better”.

Drive profitability goals through collaboration with all Footwear and cross‑functional stakeholders (including Sourcing, Materials, etc.) and establish a system by which margin targets, cost breakdown sheets and other financial and technical data are scrutinized and reviewed.

Leverage your deep functional expertise to educate, coach and mentor others.

Future projects you could lead

Create a culture of unmatched footwear product and operational excellence.

Hire, coach, and inspire a team of talented footwear experts to drive innovation and creative vision.

Continuously innovate and evolve how we craft and create product to meet and exceed the needs of the guest.

Lead the collaboration of your team as well as the manufacturing team members to enable them the best product through clear product spec documentation of construction and engineering insight.

Qualifications

15+ years’ experience in a technical aspect of the footwear industry (engineering, development, manufacturing, etc.), ideally with extensive experience in manufacturing environments in Asia.

Proven experience building processes and teams from the ground up, and can lead an organization through scale and growth.

Strong influential leadership, with the ability to drive alignment across diverse cross‑functional stakeholders at all levels of the business.

Set a clear vision, align your team around common objectives, and foster commitment to those objectives.

In‑depth knowledge of footwear construction, foams and rubbers, pattern making, manufacturing, costing, lasts, and materials.

Proven skills in interpreting design intent and product innovation.

Proven performance history with domestic and offshore vendors and manufacturers.

Excellent communication skills—interpersonal, written and verbal.

Entrepreneurial with the ability to make decisions and take calculated risks.

Proactive in identifying the root cause of issues and developing solutions.

Highly flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity.

Effectively balance autonomy and collaboration.

Inspire breakthrough thinking and continuous improvement.

Seek the best (sometimes not the easiest) solutions, with an unwavering commitment to do what is right.

Passion for sustainability is paralleled by a passion for getting outside and living it.

Compensation
188,000 - 245,000 a year

A reasonable estimate of the pay range is USD $188,000 - USD $245,000 at the time of this posting. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors such as job‑related skills, relevant experience, education and/or training. The upper end of the range is typically reserved for candidates with demonstrated expertise that is above job requirements or who bring exceptional directly transferable experience.

Total Rewards
Most new team members join between the start and midpoint of the range, where you can contribute right away while continuing to grow your craft, your collaborations, and your impact at Arc’teryx. This range reflects market alignment and the scope of the role. Individual pay is determined by your skills, experience, and level of responsibility.

We’re committed to fair, equitable, and competitive pay, reviewed regularly to ensure internal alignment and market relevance. Transparency is part of how we follow through on our commitments and how we honor the value you bring to our team.

Benefits

Health & wellbeing – Extended health, dental, and vision coverage, including mental health support, fertility benefits, and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Financial wellbeing – Immediately vested 401(k) retirement savings plan matching, eligibility for Arc’teryx Annual Incentive Plan and access to Employee Stock Purchase program (ESPP) where applicable.

Time & Flexibility – Paid time off and No Wasted Day program (dedicated paid days to get outside & explore).

Family support – Parental leave for birthing and on‑birthing parents, including an option to ease the transition back to work.

Growth, community & gear – Professional development opportunities, Arc’teryx Academies (outdoor skill‑building events), Employee Belonging Councils, and access to employee discounts and Pro Deals (exclusive discounted pricing on gear).

*Eligibility for certain programs may vary by role.

Equal Opportunity
Arc’teryx is committed to actively creating and fostering a culture of inclusivity where voices are heard, people are seen, and values are respected. We care about the uniqueness of our applicants, employees, and guests, and we do so in a safe space fueled by curiosity and acceptance.

Creating an inclusive workplace is connected to our core value Do Right while also having the added benefit of helping make our business better. We believe inclusion helps us to create a healthier, happier workplace, drive creativity and innovation, and reflect the communities where we operate.

All applicants, employees, and guests can expect equality of opportunity and fair treatment in alignment with our values.

Leave it Better
We believe that the mountains transform us, that how we adventure matters, and that there’s always a better way.

Join us in creating positive change in ourselves, our communities, and the world.

Live it. Get out there – the mountains make us better.

Disruptive evolution. In pursuit of better. Always.

Commit. We set bold objectives and see them through.

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