Lead Materials Designer, Energy - Converse

Actual salary will vary based on a candidate's location, qualifications, skills and experience.

About the role

You will be part of the Converse Global Trend & Expression Design team, working at the intersection of trend, material innovation & craftsmanship, global sport wear and fashion culture. This role collaborates closely with cross-functional partners across Footwear Design, Color Design, Graphic Design, Product Marketing, and Footwear & Material Development to deliver industry-leading product expressions. You will research trend insights on an ongoing basis to inform and drive the seasonal creative direction, as well as the material design vision for Energy, partnering closely with your category director to bring expression concepts to life through material design, veneering, and innovation. This role reports directly to the Senior Manager, Materials & Graphic Design Global.

Responsibilities

• Create original, industry-leading material concepts for lifestyle footwear collections
• Develop material trend insights into seasonal narratives, consumer insights, and product performance goals
• Translate consumer, athlete, and cultural insights into innovative material solutions
• Explore and implement new material constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques
• Build and refine material palettes that elevate product expression across multiple franchises and product tiers
• Partner with Design, Colour, Graphics, and Development teams to ensure cohesive product storytelling
• Collaborate directly with manufacturing partners to achieve material quality, feasibility, and execution excellence
• Create, evaluate, and refine physical prototypes, mock-ups, and material samples
• Drive innovation through material exploration while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability goals
• Contribute to both immediate seasonal product creation and long-term material innovations
• Lead presentations and communicate design intent to internal and external stakeholders
• Influence and align cross-functional teams around material strategy and creative direction

A typical day may include trend research, material concept development, cross-functional team collaboration, sample reviews, prototype evaluations, narrative development, and cross-functional working sessions with design and development teams.

Requirements

• 4+ years of relevant experience in material design, textile design, footwear design, or a related field (will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training)
• Portfolio demonstrating excellence in material design, textile design, footwear design, or related product design disciplines
• Deep understanding of fashion trends, footwear and fashion culture, consumer insights, and lifestyle product creation
• Experience developing innovative material concepts from ideation through commercialization
• Ability to translate consumer insights into compelling narratives and product solutions
• Understanding of how manufacturing processes can unlock new opportunities for material innovation
• Strong craftsmanship through material exploration, sample creation, and prototyping
• Proactive and highly collaborative partner across functions
• Highly organized, self-directed, and able to effectively prioritize across multiple work streams
• Thrives in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
• Passion for sustainability, innovation, and the future of sport

Pay

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $108,500.00 in our lowest geographic market to $220,400.00 in our highest geographic market.