Footwear Designer II, Inline

Job Requirements As a Brooks Running Footwear Designer II, Inline, you will create the AESTHETIC READINESS of full Brooks Running footwear inline projects. You will create an executional DESIGN balance between more progressive and more commercially acceptable design solutions as part of a seasonal collection of Brooks Running footwear product.

As a Footwear Designer II, Inline, you will use the creative foundation CRAFTED BEAUTY to create compelling footwear designs. By applying this foundation, you will elevate the level of CRAFTED BEAUTY as a design reference for Brooks Running inline product while maintaining brand direction and appropriate aesthetic appeal for the target consumer.

As a Footwear Designer II, Inline, you will work in close cooperation with the Color–Material & Trend Design team on the creation of Seasonal Beauty. You will contribute to the emotional storytelling of color, graphic, material, finishes, and trend as part of both the footwear pre-development and inline design processes.

You will also work in close partnership with the Advanced Design team on the application of our advanced design language, FUTURE BEAUTY.

As a Footwear Designer II, Inline, you will utilize best practices in 3D visual and technical tools, supported by strong design, product, and program knowledge. Our design team uses the power of 3D digital tools to make the best running footwear on the planet. Files will be shared across the footwear department and with our Asia partners to clearly communicate design vision, intent, and fidelity.

As a Footwear Designer II, Inline, you support clear communication across the Product Line Management team, Product Development team, Color & Trend team, and Product Assessment team. You help ensure design intent is clearly understood and carried through each stage of the process, supporting alignment across cross-functional partners.

As a Footwear Designer II, Inline, you contribute to strengthening Brooks’ design culture and supporting the goal of making Brooks the most loved brand for runners worldwide.

Your Responsibilities

DESIGN

• Own the full design of performance footwear models by creating and presenting upper, midsole, and outsole sketches for inline product based on direction provided by CRAFTED BEAUTY briefs.
• Apply identity principles to maximize perceived value and support strong aesthetic competitiveness.
• Work on a diverse scope of inline and pre-season product to inform and evolve templates for CRAFTED BEAUTY across sequential inline seasons.
• Improve briefs, concepts, and design direction by developing solutions through the creative foundation of CRAFTED BEAUTY, including 2D/3D exploration across story, color, material, and finishes to strengthen the appeal of Brooks Running footwear.
• Explore future possibilities of 2D and 3D design and how new tools, technologies, and methods can support the evolution of performance running footwear.
• Utilize 3D during the creation phase to visualize designs and continue building 3D skills, including technical applications such as manipulation of tooling files.
• Explore and apply new methods to expand design possibilities through advanced 2D and 3D digital design tools.
• Partner with senior design staff to align on approach and concepts, ensuring work is consistent with CRAFTED BEAUTY principles.
• Apply learned techniques and experience to approach, analyze, and solve design problems.
• Organize and deliver product design presentations in both physical and digital formats, including clear exploration of process and final solutions.
• Provide feedback and guidance to Associate Designers and Designer 1.
• Seek mentorship from more tenured designers.
• Respond to design critique with multiple design solutions.
• Stay engaged with evolving 2D and 3D digital design tools and technologies to continue developing craft and capability.

TEAM COLLABORATION

• Partner within a product creation team to deliver industry leading products and stories across inline footwear.
• Partner with the Innovation Design team to ensure a constant flow of information between innovation and inline design processes.
• Work closely with the Color–Material & Trend Design team to integrate seasonal color and trend concepts into footwear design.
• Actively collaborate with footwear team experts in Color & Trend, Materials, Product Development, Product Line Management, and Product Assessment, using their inputs and reporting to inform and strengthen design approach.
• Influence cross-functional conversations and contribute to design discussions by helping clarify intent, sharing ideas, and aligning on solutions across teams.
• Build strong working relationships with development teams in Asia and overseas production sites to support clear communication and execution of design intent.

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Maintain calendars, timelines, and deadlines to ensure timely completion of each project.
• Use strong design knowledge to partner with product teams and support project development.
• Develop templates for CRAFTED BEAUTY and SEASONAL BEAUTY in partnership with senior design staff.
• Respond to critique with a curious mindset and propose alternative options through further design exploration.
• Maintain a solid understanding of the design landscape to stay informed on trends and how they may influence design direction.
• Apply knowledge of prototyping and the use of handmade models to demonstrate proof of concept and support design intent.
• Conduct visits to factories and material suppliers to gain insights and deepen understanding of footwear manufacturing processes.
• Travel as necessary to Asia, Europe, trade shows, races, retailers, and other external events

Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial design, footwear design, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• 5+ years of experience designing footwear or similar products, with experience in color, material, and textiles, contributing to forward thinking design vision in a retail or manufacturing environment.
• Experience with 2D and 3D CAD tools, with a desire to learn complex surfacing and geometry tools such as Rhino, Blender, and Adobe Substance (2D/3D Suite), SolidWorks, Grasshopper, etc. (preferred, not required).
• Strong knowledge of art and design with a clear understanding of visual design across related disciplines.
• Proven experience supporting the creation and execution of design vision and strategy.
• Ability to understand design concepts and think conceptually across product solutions.
• Ability to apply conceptual thinking across multiple product categories.
• Ability to create designs that meet category needs and commercial opportunities.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced, ever-changing work environment.
• Strong ability to build and maintain relationships in a team environment, working with multiple stakeholders and managing diverse information and relationships.
• Ability and desire to push self, others, and the brand forward.
• Strong ability to influence and collaborate with key business partners.
• Strong attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks (self and through others), while maintaining awareness of the bigger picture and how all elements connect.
• Demonstrated innovation and initiative, with a focus on improving products and processes while remaining hands-on and detail oriented.
• Passion for sport is a plus, with a strong ability to understand and empathize with runners to build meaningful connections with customers and the Brooks community.
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Competent in Apple Mac operating system.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• 3D experiences not required but considered a plus.
• Embraces and lives Brooks values.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 10% domestically and internationally

Benefits

Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!

• Benefits- including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance.
• Paid Time Off- Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
• Bonus- in addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.
• Perks- including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits.
• Location- You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.

Compensation

The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $104,217 - $156,325 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.