Lead Footwear Designer, Basketball Signature Athlete

About the role

The Lead Footwear Designer for Nike Basketball Signature Athlete will lead the creation of industry-leading footwear, solving complex design challenges and creating iconic products that inspire through both function and form. This role requires both creative ambition and strategic focus, partnering across a global brand to build scalable design systems and advance creative innovation.

Responsibilities

• Solve complex design challenges and create iconic products that inspire through both function and form
• Help define a new visual language for Nike Basketball—one that expresses sport through style, performance, and modern design
• Bring a sharp eye for detail, proportion, materiality, and execution, consistently delivering elevated design solutions
• Develop compelling products that resonate emotionally with consumers both on and off the court
• Continually challenge industry conventions and set a high standard for creativity, desirability, and aesthetic excellence
• Work closely with project teammates on researching, gaining insights, problem-solving around performance and manufacturing, working with athletes, and crafting a vast range of creative and appealing solutions
• Engage in informal and formal reviews to participate and present the work

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design or related field
• At least 5-6 years’ experience designing and developing innovative footwear and other products
• Exceptional knowledge of design, art, and fashion, as well as passion for sport and youth culture
• A deep understanding of cultural relevance, consumer insights, and emerging trends
• Strong Photoshop, Illustrator skills
• Ability to build accurate 2D technical drawings (tech packs)
• Cobbling and prototyping skills are a plus
• Experience in technical footwear design - basketball design is a plus
• Strong sketching, illustration, and rendering skills
• Solid knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials
• Experience with presentation programs: Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, etc.

Qualifications

• Strong creative execution
• Sharp eye for detail, proportion, materiality, and execution
• Exceptional taste, refined aesthetic point of view
• Unwavering commitment to craft
• Passion for sport and youth culture
• Understanding of form, color, materials, human factors, related to elevating the consumer experience
• Experience in technical footwear design - basketball design is a plus
• Strong sketching, illustration, and rendering skills
• Solid knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials
• Experience with presentation programs: Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, etc.
• Collaborator with a skill in connecting the dots
• Open-minded, good listener, receptive to candid feedback and diverse points of view

Skills

• Strong creative execution
• Sharp eye for detail, proportion, materiality, and execution
• Exceptional taste, refined aesthetic point of view
• Unwavering commitment to craft
• Passion for sport and youth culture
• Understanding of form, color, materials, human factors, related to elevating the consumer experience
• Experience in technical footwear design - basketball design is a plus
• Strong sketching, illustration, and rendering skills
• Solid knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials
• Experience with presentation programs: Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, etc.
• Collaborator with a skill in connecting the dots
• Open-minded, good listener, receptive to candid feedback and diverse points of view

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development opportunities
• Flexible work schedule

Pay

Commensurate with experience

Schedule

Full-time