Director, Color Design - HOKA Footwear

About the role

The Role
HOKA is redefining performance and lifestyle footwear through visionary innovation, emotion, and cultural relevance. As Director, Color Design, you will lead the global color vision for HOKA Footwear, elevating color as a strategic lever to shape consumer perception, storytelling, and commercial impact.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the global HOKA footwear color vision across Performance and Lifestyle categories.
• Develop annual and seasonal color strategies, palettes, and expression frameworks that scale globally.
• Translate macro trends, consumer insight, and brand direction into ownable color systems.
• Lead color direction across key footwear categories and franchises, ensuring consistency and differentiation.
• Drive color storytelling that enhances product innovation, material expression, and performance credibility.
• Champion bold, disruptive, and emotionally resonant color solutions that push the brand forward.
• Partner closely with Product, Merchandising, Development, Innovation, and Marketing to align color with business strategy.
• Lead and develop a high-performing Footwear Color Design team, providing mentorship, feedback, and growth opportunities.
• Guide integration of color into broader design storytelling and product narratives.
• Maintain strong awareness of lifestyle, sport-style, performance, and performance-crossover landscapes.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in industrial design, product design, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in footwear color design (performance and/or lifestyle).
• 3–5+ years of leadership experience managing creative teams.
• Proven ability to deliver globally relevant, commercially successful product.
• Expert in color theory, storytelling, and application in footwear.
• Deep knowledge of materials, construction, and product creation.
• Strong ability to connect performance innovation to lifestyle expression.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Experience with 3D / AI design tools (Vizcom, Midjourney, Figma, etc.).
• Exceptional visual storytelling, presentation, and communication skills.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and project leadership capabilities.
• Ability to lead in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.
• Portfolio demonstrating strategic color leadership and execution at scale.

Qualifications

• We celebrate diversity—of your background, your experiences and your unique identity.
• We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable workplace where all of our employees can Come as They Are.

Skills

• Strategic thinking and problem-solving.
• Collaboration and teamwork.
• Adaptability and flexibility.
• Attention to detail.
• Project management.

Benefits

• $154,700.00 - $208,800.00 Salary Range
• Competitive Pay and Bonuses
• Financial Planning and wellbeing
• Time away from work
• Extras, discounts and perks
• Growth and Development
• Health and Wellness

Pay

$154,700.00 - $208,800.00

Schedule

In-Office