Design Manager, Specialty Concept Footwear, APLA

Who We Are: At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line.   Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.   Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:   ·       Runner First   We act in the best interest of the runner   ·       Word is Bond  We do what we say we’ll do   ·       Champion Heart   We give our all in everything we do     ·       There is no “I” in Run We stay generous with our humanity   ·       Keep Moving We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!   We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement — because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.    Your Job: As the Design Manager, Specialty Concept Footwear, APLA, you will own the AESTHETIC READINESS of all Brooks Running models created as part of our regional make-up (RMU) strategy for the Asia Pacific and Latin America regions. Design projects will range and include performance running RMUs, lifestyle and heritage RMUs, regional inline product extensions, APLA-led event and collaboration footwear, and APLA retailer exclusives. Across all categories and projects, you will ensure the EXECUTIONAL balance between exciting and trend-forward design application and overall performance requirements.   In this role, you will apply the creative foundations of CRAFTED BEAUTY and CRAFTED LEGACY along with seasonal design and color directions to create compelling style extensions of our footwear products. By applying these creative foundations together with fresh design inspiration to meet the needs and nuances of the APLA region, you will constantly elevate regional design expression while maintaining brand direction and appropriate aesthetic appeal for a new audience of runners.   As the Design Manager, Specialty Concept Footwear, APLA, you will manage the seasonal design workload. You will work in close cooperation with the APLA Footwear Merchandising Team to sync and express a seasonal line plan through design. Harnessing the power of color, material, graphic and finishes, you will emotionalize and implement future trends into concepts and stories for events, causes, collaborations, inline extensions, and other moments that matter to our brand, our runners, and our partners.   As the Design Manager, Specialty Concept Footwear, APLA, you will be integral to provide clear communication to a variety of teams. You will be a partner to the whole footwear design organization, including Inline, Lifestyle, Specialty Concept, Visualization, and Color Design. You will work closely with Footwear Development to translate design ideas into products. You will establish and build relationships with material vendors and factories across the globe. You will be responsible for the preparation and presentation of design files and content as part of triad (Design, Merchandising, Development) workflows, taking on the lead design role on designated projects.   In this foundational design manager role, you will also work closely with the Director of Color & Trend to plan for future designer needs and/or manage external design resources, building out and growing a healthy footwear-design function in the APLA region to meet a growing regional business and to ensure Brooks as the most LOVED brand for runners in APLA. Your Responsibilities:

DESIGN LEADERSHIP

Establish and lead the Brooks Running Specialty Concept Footwear Design function within the APLA region, evolving existing processes and standards in collaboration with US-based Color and SCD managers.

Lead and oversee seasonal design development projects within the region

Lead and manage external project contacts and resources

Establish, manage, and organize all relevant design documents and regional design workflows

Participate and contribute to regional product-triad meetings

Manage and streamline feedback loops with regional stakeholders, advocating and balancing design quality and regional needs

Lead and facilitate design reviews

Guide the design for footwear collaborations with external organizations

Ensure projects are conceivable and profitable based on preliminary cost breakdowns

Create opportunities to build a future regional design team and function through exposure to design software, applications, innovations, new methods, and industry advancements

Establish and manage the regional design process and continually evolve and identify opportunities to advance/streamline

Contribute and support two-way communication and feedback loops with design manager counterparts and leadership to evolve and strengthen global footwear design function both creatively and in processes.

Support Director of Color & Trend to identify and roadmap future design resource needs for APLA, and to plan for onboarding and team growth as the regional design organization is established

FOOTWEAR & COLOR DESIGN

Provide extended footwear design solutions based on the creative foundation of design and identity principles, developing concepts through 2D/3D designs, color, material, and finish stories to ensure and enhance product appeal and maximize perceived value

Ensure that all product designs meet organizational standards of quality, function, and technology

Accountable for exploring and translating how all the identity elements interact on a product to enhance the product

Maintain calendar, timelines, and deadlines that result in a timely completion of each project

Utilize knowledge of prototyping and handmade models to demonstrate proof of ideas

Organize and deliver product design presentations, both physical and digital, including exploratory process to reach final solution

Respond to design critique with multiple design solutions and manage others through key decisions, milestones and timelines across functions ensuring production schedules are effectively met

Conduct visits to factories and material suppliers to gain insights and maintain a high level of understanding of the footwear manufacturing process

Travel as necessary to North America, Europe, trade shows, races, retailers, or other external events

CROSS-TEAM COLLABORATION

Establish yourself as a design expert and use your expertise to partner with your product team partners

Work closely with US footwear design colleagues, including mangers and designers within Inline Design, Lifestyle Design, Color Design, and Apparel Design

Partner closely with APLA Merchandising to meet the needs of regional consumers and partners

Build strong relationships with material and product development teams in US and Asia, and factory partners

Work closely with the Director of Color & Trend on color stories and trend analysis to meet regional needs

Qualifications:

4-year college or university degree in industrial, graphics, apparel or footwear design; equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be substituted for degree

7+ years of experience creating color/material/textile programs and future vision in a retail/manufacturing environment

3+ years managerial experience, managing direct reports and developing talent preferred

Experience managing external resources

Thorough knowledge of art and design with clear understanding of visual design

Proven experience creating and leading the execution of vision, concepts and strategy

Ability to understand design conceptually across product categories (Footwear, Apparel, Accessories, etc.)

Ability to create designs that reach and engage new audiences for Brooks Running

Keen attention to detail in planning, organization and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all of the pieces fit together and affect one another

Demonstration of innovation and initiative—always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help out wherever necessary

Ability to build and foster relationships in a team environment. This position requires employee to engage with many stakeholders, as well as manage various information and relationships

Ability to influence and collaborate with key business partners

Ability to manage a team of professionals to inspire and motivate them to produce their best work

Ability to operate in a fast-paced, ever-changing work environment

Ability to understand and empathize with the runner

Mastery of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

Competent using Apple Mac Operating system

Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, etc.)

3D visualization experience not required, but a plus

Travel 10% (Domestically/Internationally)

Ability to work across multiple time zones

Proficiency in English required

Embraces and lives the Brooks values!