Footwear Developer New Creations – Men’s

Footwear Developer New Creations – Men’s

The Footwear Developer New Creations – Men’s contributes actively to the development of assigned men’s footwear projects, playing a key role in transforming design concepts into high-quality, commercially viable products. Based at HQ, this position works in close partnership with Design, Product Management, Sourcing, and Asia-based teams across all phases of the footwear development lifecycle. This role is well suited for a Developer who can combine solid technical foundations with strong project coordination skills, proactively collaborate with cross-functional partners, and support the efficient execution of product creation within a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

Product Development

• Own and drive the end-to-end footwear development process for assigned men’s footwear projects, from design handoff through sample confirmation and pre-production sign-off.
• Translate design concepts into manufacturable products, balancing creativity with technical feasibility, performance requirements, durability, and cost targets.
• Act as a technical partner to Design, proactively resolving construction, fit, and material challenges throughout the development cycle.
• Review prototypes, wear-test results, and development samples; provide clear, structured, and actionable feedback to Asia-based development teams and factories.
• Ensure all products meet brand standards for quality, fit, performance, sustainability, and aesthetics.
• Partner with Materials and Engineering teams to lead the integration of new materials, tooling, construction methods, and sustainability initiatives into seasonal collections.

Project & Process Coordination

• Own development timelines and key milestones for assigned projects, ensuring alignment with seasonal calendars and cross-functional deliverables.
• Manage day-to-day communication with Asia development offices and manufacturing partners, ensuring clarity on specifications, revisions, and expectations.
• Proactively identify technical, timing, or cost-related risks and drive resolution in collaboration with cross-functional partners.
• Support costing discussions by aligning technical solutions with target costs and commercial objectives.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Product Management to ensure product briefs, target costing, and line plans are correctly translated into executable products.
• Work with Sourcing and factory partners to optimize construction, efficiency, and quality while maintaining brand standards.
• Serve as a key development contact for Asia-based teams, ensuring strong alignment, clear documentation, and smooth handoffs between development stages.
• Provide regular project updates to internal stakeholders, highlighting progress, risks, and opportunities throughout the season.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in footwear development or product creation, preferably within men’s footwear, sport, lifestyle, or premium fashion categories.
• Proven hands-on experience working with Asia-based factories and development teams, with the ability to manage complex projects across time zones.
• Strong technical knowledge of footwear construction, materials, pattern engineering, tooling, and manufacturing processes.
• Demonstrated experience bringing footwear products from concept through sampling and pre-production within seasonal calendars.
• Solid project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Proficiency with PLM systems and digital development tools; experience with 3D CAD or virtual development is a strong plus.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, comfortable working in cross-functional and multicultural environments.

Key skills/competency

• Footwear Development
• Product Creation
• Project Coordination
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Technical Knowledge
• Manufacturing Processes
• PLM Systems
• 3D CAD
• Sample Management
• Quality Assurance