Vice President Footwear Jobs in Santa Ana, CA (NOW HIRING)

BUILD THE OPERATING ENGINE.

We are looking for a high-agency operator who can easily shift from global strategy to operating detail across their portfolio of responsibilities, someone who can help decide where we place capital and capacity, then get into the data, the factory, the PO or the process when execution is off.

This is a builder as well as an operator role. The mandate is to make New Balance work at scale, support the launch of Seconds, strengthen the global manufacturing network, and use AI to make FutureStitch faster, more visible and more accountable. We are early enough that the VP, Global Operations and Supply Chain has an opportunity to build and modify our strategies, systems, and processes in addition to operating day to day.

THE ROLE

The VP, Global Operations & Supply Chain reports directly to the CEO and owns global manufacturing, sourcing, supply chain, quality, planning, logistics and the digital operating systems behind them. The role is intentionally hands-on and can grow into COO responsibility as scope and performance warrant.

THE PRIORITIES

1. NEW BALANCE IS THE #1 PRIORITY. Build the operating platform required to scale the New Balance business globally: product flow, capacity, margin, inventory, quality, replenishment, data visibility and launch execution. A critical mission is enabling the global launch of New Balance base layer by Q3 2027.

2. SECONDS IS THE #2 PRIORITY. Build the operating backbone for Seconds across U.S.-made and reclaimed product, sourcing, production, inventory, fulfillment and the systems required to support launch and scale.

3. BUILD ONE GLOBAL OPERATING SYSTEM. Simplify the network, diversify production, improve OTIF and quality, and create one source of truth across factories, suppliers, logistics and customer commitments.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

GLOBAL MANUFACTURING & SUPPLY CHAIN. Own performance across the U.S., China, Mexico, Vietnam, Cambodia and aligned OEM/JV partners. Build capacity that is operational, profitable and ready for customer demand—not theoretical.

NEW BALANCE EXECUTION. Create the operating discipline behind New Balance growth across wholesale, direct, new categories and global launches. Protect fill rate, margin, inventory health, quality and speed as the business scales.

DISTRIBUTION & PLANNING. Lead 3PL, replenishment, demand planning, inventory allocation and logistics. Build a system that balances service, speed, margin and working capital.

AI + DIGITAL OPERATING SYSTEM. Personally use Claude/Anthropic and related tools to build the control tower, automate exception management, convert meetings into action, preserve institutional knowledge, accelerate analysis and make accountability visible. AI proficiency is a core requirement, not a nice-to-have.

QUALITY, DELIVERY & PROFITABILITY. Improve OTIF, quality, throughput, forecast accuracy, gross margin, working capital and cost-to-serve. Connect operating decisions directly to cash and customer impact.

TEAM & EXECUTION. Create clarity on who owns, who decides and what happens next. Coach leaders, raise the standard and step into the work when execution stalls.

WHAT HIGH-TO-LOW MEANS AT FUTURESTITCH

• You can discuss network strategy with the CEO in the morning and work through late POs with a planner or factory in the afternoon.
• You build the scorecard, then validate whether the underlying data is actually true.
• You delegate when the system is working and take direct ownership when a critical issue needs to be stabilized.
• You create urgency without chaos: fewer priorities, clearer ownership, faster decisions and consistent follow-through.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• 10+ years of progressively senior operations, supply-chain or manufacturing leadership. Apparel, footwear, textiles or complex physical goods are strongly preferred.
• Proven ownership of multi-site or international operations and a record of scaling, restructuring or materially improving an operating system.
• Strong financial fluency across gross margin, inventory, working capital, unit economics and capital allocation.
• AI-native working style with practical Claude/Anthropic proficiency. You should be able to show workflows you personally built or materially designed—not just talk about AI strategy.
• High agency, low ego and strong follow-through. Comfortable with ambiguity, incomplete information and getting your hands dirty.
• Strong communicator who can simplify complexity, hold people accountable and build trust across factories, customers and internal teams.

FIRST 90 DAYS

• Create one prioritized register of major open initiatives and inherited projects, with clear owners, milestones and escalation paths.
• Install the weekly operating cadence for New Balance, supply chain, quality, margin/cash and major launch risks.
• Launch the first practical Claude-enabled operating layer for exceptions, decisions, commitments and institutional knowledge.
• Produce a 180-day operating roadmap tied directly to the mission dates above.

HOW WE WILL EVALUATE YOU

We care more about evidence than polish. Be prepared to walk us through a real operating problem you fixed and two AI-enabled workflows you personally built or materially designed. Additionally, after the first interview, we will send you a list of specific high-level missions and deliverables by quarter for visibility and to better understand how you will tackle them.