LEAD DESIGNER, FOOTWEAR NXT SPACE

Become a Part of the NIKE, Inc. Team

NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries and push out the edges of what can be. The company looks for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Its culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The brand seeks achievers, leaders and visionaries. At NIKE, Inc. it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.

NIKE, Inc. designs the future. At NIKE, Inc. designers chase their curiosities and build what’s next, shaping the culture and advancing human potential. The Design teams include artists, inventors and specialists, all with different focuses, including color and material experts, and apparel, footwear and graphic designers. Nike designers look to the future, aggressively pursuing materials, ideas and forms that further elevate the athlete experience, raise the bar for modern style and reduce environmental impact.

NXT Space explores the future of sport through radical imagination and barrier breaking innovation. We exist to cultivate extraordinary possibility for athletes.

Formerly known as Nike’s Innovation Kitchen, NXT Space is one of the world’s foremost innovation laboratories exploring revolutionary platforms and strategic products. A playground where a diverse cohort of designers, engineers, risk takers and innovators draft impactful futures for product performance, experience and manufacturing.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for an exceptional Product Design Innovator with proven design excellence and an entrepreneurial approach. This person champions diversity, sustainability and collaboration while thriving in ambiguity. They are driven by curiosity and lead with optimism; consciously nurturing progressive thinking!

This designer can create future forward footwear, apparel and experience designs that revolutionize benefit and capture the imagination of athletes*. They have played key roles in developing proof of concepts and their powerful narratives and presentation skills rally teams and win over audiences. We are looking for someone who is inspired to unite the world through sport, create a healthy planet, enable active communities and elevate the holistic athlete* experience!

What you will work on

If this is you, you’ll be collaborating with cross-functional teams in a matrix environment. Your days and weeks will consistently look different, based on the diversity of your project portfolio. Your workload will include driving self-generated future concepts and supporting team priority programs.

Using performance and cultural insights originating from athletes* along with the Nike Sport Research Lab (NSRL), you will identify growth opportunities and create competitive advantages. You’ll effectively communicate and present concepts to various internal and external audiences by sharing your vision, capturing feedback, aligning with and building momentum. You'll champion and influence new ways of strategic thinking and visioning to build and initiate research for product Innovation and design concepts.

Who you will work with

As a key member of the Design Innovation team, you’ll help strengthen and shape the collective as a positive force of creativity and curiosity by engaging and uplifting your Design Innovation peers. You will collaborate with portfolio leads, concept creators, engineers, developers, and NXT Space leadership.

You’ll build relationships working with a variety of cross-functional teams across the organization, including Advanced Manufacturing, Materials, Sustainability, Nike Sports Research Lab (NSRL), Digital, and inline business partners. You will also engage with athletes* and develop new relationships with external vendor and factory partners.

You’ll report to a Senior Design Innovation Manager, in NXT SPACE, who reports to the Senior Design Director of NXT SPACE.

What you bring

• Minimum of 5-7 years relevant Design work experience in a related field
• BA/BFA/MA/MFA preferred, in industrial design, Product Design (Industrial Design type not UX Product Design) Fashion Design or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Well-curated portfolio showcasing various projects that demonstrate your personal methodology for research, inspiration, design development, problem solving and final execution.
• Examples of working from a brief to completion/commercialization.
• Examples of self-initiated innovation and your entrepreneurial spirit.
• Examples of in-depth research leading to new opportunities.
• Examples of working directly with a diverse range of consumers/athletes.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to track key dates and deliverables.
• Self-starter, with a bias for curiosity and action
• Strong teammate who values transparency and collaboration.
• Ability to self-manage and empower others.
• Ability to drive projects in partnership with Design leadership.
• Ability to work independently, with minimal guidance, embraces ambiguity.
• Demonstrates self-awareness with the confidence to ask hard questions.
• Resilient and understands that failure can be part of the creative innovation process.
• Advanced product designer, creatively agile and adept in Innovative thinking, visioning and innovative problem solving.
• Entrepreneurial spirit who can think holistically across product design and business for opportunities to disrupt.
• Stays updated and connected to sport, cultural and societal insights to translate into future concepts.
• Advanced product designer with ability to ideate, generate, develop, and execute original designs considering performance benefit, fit, feel, form, function, and environmental footprint while balancing innovation, performance, and style.
• Thorough knowledge of advanced product construction concepts, including but not limited to part drawings, 2D documentation, 3D technologies, materials, manufacture for design, manufacturing processes and sustainability concepts.
• Advanced knowledge of product design and design development, and partner with internal and external partners (development, engineering, manufacture for design, testing, athlete research) and own the design process to ensure that project standards are met.
• Advanced skills in Illustrator, Photoshop, Miro, and Keynote
• Knowledge of / expertise in 3d design tools are a plus but desire to learn and apply is a must.
• Strong storytelling and communication skills with the ability to prepare and deliver compelling presentations to different audiences
• 10% travel

NIKE, Inc. is a growth company that looks for team members to grow with it. Nike offers a generous total rewards package, casual work environment, a diverse and inclusive culture, and an electric atmosphere for professional development. No matter the location, or the role, every Nike employee shares one galvanizing mission: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.

NIKE, Inc. is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.

How We Hire

At NIKE, Inc. we promise to provide a premium, inclusive, compelling and authentic candidate experience. Delivering on this promise means we allow you to be at your best — and to do that, you need to understand how the hiring process works. Transparency is key. * This overview explains our hiring process for corporate roles. Note there may be different hiring steps involved for non-corporate roles.

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