Footwear Development Manager Jobs (NOW HIRING)

POSITION OVERVIEW

At adidas, we never launch a product unless we consider it perfect.

Our product creation teams combine creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, and technical expertise to create footwear that performs at the highest level and connects with consumers around the world.

As a Footwear Designer for adidas Golf, you will lead the creation of globally relevant and commercially impactful footwear across men's, women's, and youth categories. You will bring a strong design point of view and deep understanding of consumer, cultural, and market dynamics to deliver innovative, industry-leading product solutions.

You will own the design process from concept through commercialization, driving storytelling, innovation, and executional excellence. In partnership with the Design Director and cross-functional teams, you will ensure product aligns with brand direction, consumer needs, and business goals.

This role is strategically important in defining pinnacle product expressions across men's and women's Golf. You will also partner closely with Apparel Design and global teams to create a cohesive visual language and strengthen the adidas Golf portfolio.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Design Direction: Drive the design and creation of Golf Footwear collections in alignment with seasonal concepts, brand vision, consumer needs, and cultural leadership.

Consumer and Market Insights: Conduct trend, consumer, and business analysis to inform design strategies and ensure global market relevance within the golf footwear category.

Concept Creation: Develop innovative footwear concepts, sketches, CAD files, and design specifications that deliver premium product while supporting technical feasibility and brand-right execution.

Color, Materials, and Finishes: Collaborate on material selection, color application, finishes, and CMF development to strengthen product storytelling and seasonal expression.

Product Development: Partner with Footwear Development throughout prototyping, sample reviews, cost engineering, final approvals, and bulk commercialization.

End-to-End Design Ownership: Manage the design process from pre-season research and concept development through commercialization and bulk approvals.

Collection Storytelling: Create capsule collection stories, color concepts, and visual narratives that connect product innovation with consumer and business opportunities.

Sustainable Design: Implement sustainable design practices and identify process efficiencies through effective calendar management and tool optimization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Product Marketing, Product Development, Apparel Design, Brand Design, Product Testing, Sports Marketing, and regional teams to advance the go-to-market pipeline.

Stakeholder Alignment: Ensure clear communication and alignment across all partners involved in the product lifecycle to deliver premium, commercially relevant collections.

Creative Culture: Cultivate a collaborative and innovative environment that champions creativity, progression, and cross-functional partnership.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Footwear Design, Industrial Design, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• 3 to 5 years of practical experience in a footwear design environment or equivalent relevant experience.

• Profound knowledge of footwear design, industrial design, or related product creation disciplines.

• Ability to translate consumer insights, trend research, and brand vision into innovative and premium footwear concepts.

• Demonstrated ability to establish clear design direction and manage multiple complex projects in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to balance creative vision, technical feasibility, and commercial goals.

• Expertise in footwear construction, materials, lasts, manufacturing processes, and cost engineering considerations.

• Proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud and relevant design technologies, including 3D modeling applications, AI tools, PLM systems, and Microsoft 365.

• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to influence and align global cross-functional teams.

• Fluent English language skills, both spoken and written.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience designing performance, sport, lifestyle, or golf footwear for a global consumer audience.

• Understanding of the golf industry, golf consumer, and the sport of golf.

• Experience developing product across men's, women's, and youth categories.

• Experience creating pinnacle product expressions, capsule collections, and cohesive cross-category design stories.

• Experience partnering with global and regional teams throughout the complete product creation and go-to-market process.

• Experience applying sustainable design practices and emerging technologies to improve product creation and workflow efficiency.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This position follows the adidas hybrid work policy and requires in-office attendance Monday through Thursday, with the flexibility to work remotely on Friday. In-office attendance is required on Fridays when business needs involve a high degree of collaboration or an in-person presentation.

The working location for this position is Carlsbad, California. The role operates in a fast-paced and highly collaborative global product creation environment. Travel expectations are based on business needs and may include meetings with global partners, product development teams, and other key stakeholders.

REPORTING STRUCTURE

This role partners closely with the Design Director and works across local and global Design teams. The position has significant cross-functional exposure to Footwear Development, Product Marketing, Product Testing, Sports Marketing, Apparel Design, Brand Design, and regional partners.

The Footwear Designer owns key design initiatives and product creation workstreams across the Golf Footwear portfolio. The role contributes to shared creative direction and alignment across men's, women's, and youth product.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The anticipated base salary range for this position is $103,620 to $117,750.

Actual salary will be based on various factors, including a candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, competencies, and proficiency for the role.

Employees are eligible to earn an annual bonus based on both company and personal performance.

• Comprehensive medical coverage including HSA with employer funding or FSA options, dental, vision, and prescription plans.

• Adoption, surrogate, and fertility support programs.

• Short and long term disability coverage.

• Basic life and AD and D insurance with supplemental employee paid options.

• 401(k) plan and Stock Purchase Plan with employer match.

• Education assistance for eligible full time employees.

• 12 weeks of paid parental leave and generous leave policies.

• Flexible time off accrued at 0.4388 hours per day, increasing with tenure.

• Twelve paid holidays plus milestone Service Time Off.

• Employee product discounts and access to wellness programs.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

At adidas, we foster a workplace culture built on respect, collaboration, and opportunity where employees can grow, contribute, and perform at their best.

We value diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds because they strengthen our teams, drive innovation, and help us better serve athletes, consumers, and communities around the world.

adidas is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.