Senior Footwear Materials Color Developer

Location: Onsite in Beaverton, OR | Employment Type: 6-Month Full-time W2 Contract

About the Role

Step into a pivotal role with a global leader in athletic footwear and apparel! This position offers an opportunity to sit at the intersection of design, materials science, and production, serving as the operational backbone for technical color development across complex materials like textiles, leathers, polymers, and foams. You will work directly with cross-functional footwear design, materials integrity, and global factory partners to ensure color accuracy and consistency from concept to buy.

Responsibilities

• Manage Complex Material Color: Lead technical color development and approvals for yarns, skins, foams, and synthetics, maintaining accurate tracking and seasonal color activation in product creation tools.
• Drive Color Alignment: Support color consistency across high-volume materials palettes, coordinating sample flows and evaluating color consistency using a light box and spectrophotometers.
• Support Color Standards & Lab Operations: Capture spectrophotometer readings, interpret color reading reports, maintain physical and digital color libraries, and support FM100 color testing.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner daily with Footwear Color Developers, Color Design, Materials Integrity, and global factory suppliers to resolve technical color challenges.
• Data Management: Keep seasonal color tracking clean, accurate, and up-to-date using Excel, Smartsheet, and digital color tools.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in technical color development, materials development, or product creation specifically focused on footwear materials (textiles, synthetics, foams, leathers, or printing).
• Completed color acuity test with a superior score on the Farnsworth-Munsell Color Acuity (FM100) test.
• Demonstrated ability to measure color using a Spectrophotometer, interpret color data reports, and utilize tools like Excel, Smartsheet, and digital color management software.
• Solid working knowledge of color theory, color evaluation methods, material construction, and lab dip reviews.
• Exceptional organizational skills, meticulous attention to detail, clear communication, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Pay

$34.00 - $37.33 per hour (max).

Benefits

• Medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance.
• AD&D and life insurance offerings.
• Short-term disability.
• 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).