Freelance Footwear Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Road Runner Sports is looking for a Sr. Creative Design Manager to join our Marketing team. As the most senior creative leader in our company, you will be the standard-setter for the Road Runner Sports brand owning our visual identity across every channel, every campaign, and every customer touchpoint. You will bring a vision, lead a team of talented in-house creatives and contractors, design beautiful work yourself, and make sure every single asset we produce reflects the energy, authenticity, and excellence that millions of runners and walkers expect from us.

About Us:

• Road Runner Sports is proud to have been recognized as the Footwear Retailer of the Year by Footwear Magazine
• Founded in a San Diego garage over 42 years ago
• Road Runner Sports has 50-plus stores across the country, and we are growing!
• Our Values, Mission & Purpose (we call them Our 6 Pillars) are Be Different, Bring the WOW, Build Something Great Together, Get Moving, Stay Active, and Live Healthy

What you'll get to do:

• Own the creative vision for Road Runner Sports, setting the visual standard for web, email, social, print, catalog, and in-store assets across the entire brand
• Lead the development of compelling brand storytelling that connects product, athlete, and lifestyle narratives across every customer touchpoint, with a strong emphasis on head-to-toe outfitting and visually merchandising complete solutions that inspire and convert
• Lead brainstorming sessions, develop mood boards, concept art, and style guides, and collaborate directly with the CMO on campaign creative strategy and seasonal storytelling direction
• Oversee and direct all photoshoot production, including model casting, talent hiring, styling coordination, shoot planning, and on-set creative direction to ensure brand consistency and elevated execution across campaigns and catalogs
• Drive the creation and production of catalogs and major brand campaigns from concept through final delivery, ensuring all creative assets align to merchandising priorities, storytelling objectives, and business goals
• Design high-impact assets yourself in Photoshop, Adobe XD, Illustrator, and InDesign while managing and directing a team of in-house designers, freelance creatives, photographers, stylists, and external contractors
• Lead and develop the broader creative operations team, including production coordinators and support staff, creating clear workflows and operational excellence that keep the department highly efficient, organized, and scalable
• Drive the design process from creative brief through final launch, troubleshooting what slows us down and maintaining the quality bar every step of the way
• Partner with teams across Brand, Retail, Social, Ecommerce, and Merchandise Marketing to deliver creative solutions that are on-brand, on-time, and built to perform
• Build the creative infrastructure, including file systems, production workflows, resource planning, and quality controls that keep the team operating like a world-class creative studio

What you'll bring:

• 7+ years of design experience at in-house brands or agencies, with 2+ years managing designers and contractors
• A strong, versatile portfolio that demonstrates mastery across digital, social, email, and print, and a clear, consistent creative point of view
• Expert proficiency in Adobe Creative Cloud, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Adobe XD
• Strong knowledge of UX/UI design principles, mobile-first web design, and brand systems
• Proficiency in Asana, Slack, and Microsoft 365
• Extreme attention to detail, self-motivated work ethic, and a positive, solutions-first attitude
• Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design, Visual Communications, or a related field

Your rewards!

• Earn competitive pay
• Contribute to an OUTSTANDING team
• Be the envy of your friends with discounts on ALL the latest gear and footwear
• Enjoy free running and walking events

After acceptance of a potential offer, the successful completion of a background check will be required prior to start date. The offer is contingent upon the information received in this report, and will be carried out in accordance with Local, State, and Federal laws.

We're committed to protecting your privacy rights. We collect personal information from you, including personally identifying information, professional or employment-related information, and educational information. The purpose of this collection is to assist in evaluating your application for employment.

Road Runner Sports is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Road Runner Sports is an e-verify organization and an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.

To ensure your application is received as timely as possible, we encourage you to apply directly onto our Road Runner Sports Career page.

As you apply directly on our site, we will be reaching out to you within the next 10 days should your experience and qualifications meet our requirements for this position.

Road Runner Sports is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Road Runner Sports is an e-verify organization and an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.