Footwear Designer Jobs
Footwear Designer jobs are open across athletic, fashion, outdoor, and private-label brands, from junior designer to creative director, with specializations in performance footwear, fashion footwear, and sustainable materials development. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Become a Part of the NIKE, Inc. Team
NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries and push out the edges of what can be. The company looks for people who can grow, think, dream and create. Its culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The brand seeks achievers, leaders and visionaries. At NIKE, Inc. it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.
Information about benefits can be found here.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We’re looking for a Lead Designer, Materials Design for NikeSKIMS to combine their experience in material design & creative problem solving to build the future of the NIKESKIMS within Footwear and Apparel. The ideal candidate elevates the Nike consumer product experience with a focus on both the art & science of materials while bringing a distinct POV to the role. In this role, you will influence and drive an emotional connection to footwear & Apparel through the use of narrative and storytelling.
This designer will be an active and proficient participant in the creative process and have excellent cross-functional communication skills, presenting design concepts to internal and external audiences and setting expectations for creative execution and timeliness of deliverables.
**TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS ROLE YOU MUST SUBMIT A RELEVANT PORTFOLIO BY EITHER ATTACHING A PDF TO THIS APPLICATION OR PROVIDING WEBSITE URL ON THE RESUME (PLEASE PROVIDE THE PASSWORD IF REQUIRED TO VIEW YOUR WORK)
WHAT YOU BRING
Bachelor’s degree in design or will accept any equivalent combination education, experience, or training.
EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum 5 years of progressively technically challenging design experience, in product or materials preferred
- Understanding of color trends, strategy, achievability, and material placement and performance
- Knowledge of product design and development process within footwear and apparel
- Strong visual and verbal presentation skills; able to effectively show and communicate design intent to internal and external audiences.
- Demonstrate ability to lead a team and manage multiple projects and timelines at once
- Ability to work independently and cooperatively in a diverse group
- Ability to network, influence and utilize internal and external resources
- Ability to articulate how color & materials can affect product and sales
- Strong knowledge of footwear construction, materials, and development from concept through commercialization.
- Familiarity with apparel construction, garment development, material applications, and product creation.
- Understanding of knit structures, seamless technologies, yarns, fabrication techniques, and material innovation across footwear and apparel.
- Excellent organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, seasonal timelines, priorities, and deliverables.
- Strong attention to detail
- Strong storytelling and presentation skills, translating research, consumer insights, material exploration, and design concepts into compelling narratives.
- Proactive self-starter who works independently, anticipates project needs, and takes ownership.
- Creative problem solver who can identify opportunities and navigate design and development challenges.
- Strong cross-functional communicator who collaborates effectively with design, development, product teams, and vendors.
- Adaptable and comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and deadlines.
- Experience working with collaborators.
We are looking for someone that can comfortably navigate ambiguity and help define new spaces that connect with the Sportswear and Athleisure. The Lead Designer will be an expert creative problem solver who excels in a fast-paced environment and has experience managing others.
WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON
If this is you, you will manage a dynamic materials design team to create narrative-driven concepts. This will require driving product excellence through the connection of design, development, marketing, and manufacturing. Through research and deep consumer understanding, you and your team will explore the edges of material design, fashion, art, and sports-related products. You will help identify project deliverables and communicate expectations in a timely manner for your team.
WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH
On a day-to-day basis you will be reporting to the senior manager in addition to working with product line managers, tech and material developers, and product designers. .
We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form.
NIKE, Inc. is a growth company that looks for team members to grow with it. Nike offers a generous total rewards package, casual work environment, a diverse and inclusive culture, and an electric atmosphere for professional development. No matter the location, or the role, every Nike employee shares one galvanizing mission: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.
NIKE, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.
OUR HIRING GAME PLAN
01 Apply
Our teams are made up of diverse skillsets, knowledge bases, inputs, ideas and backgrounds. We want you to find your fit – review job descriptions, departments and teams to discover the role for you.
02 Meet a Recruiter or Take an Assessment
If selected for a corporate role, a recruiter will reach out to start your interview process and be your main contact throughout the process. For retail roles, you’ll complete an interactive assessment that includes a chat and quizzes and takes about 10-20 minutes to complete. No matter the role, we want to learn about you – the whole you – so don’t shy away from how you approach world-class service and what makes you unique.
03 Interview
Go into this stage confident by doing your research, understanding what we are looking for and being prepared for questions that are set up to learn more about you, and your background.
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Find Footwear Designer JobsFootwear Designer Job Market
Who's Hiring
- NIKE10

- Cole Haan2

- Under Armour2

- Deckers Brands2

- CELLA1

Top Industries Hiring
- Fashion & Apparel
What Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in footwear designer jobs.
- Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for technical sketching and colorway development
- Experience with 3D footwear design tools such as Rhino or Modo
- Understanding of footwear construction methods including last development and pattern grading
- Bachelor's degree in footwear design, industrial design, or a related field
- Ability to create detailed technical specification packages for factory production
- Experience collaborating with overseas manufacturers and interpreting prototype feedback
Tips for Your Footwear Designer Job Search
Tailor your portfolio to the category
Athletic brands and fashion houses evaluate very different portfolios. Curate your work so the first three projects reflect the category you're targeting, whether that's performance running, luxury leather goods, or outdoor technical footwear.
Show construction knowledge on your resume
Many footwear designer job descriptions screen for last-making, pattern grading, or factory communication experience. Call out the specific construction methods you've worked with, such as vulcanized, cemented, or strobel, so your resume clears initial filters.
Apply early to roles that fit
Migrate Mate lists footwear designer openings from across the United States in one place, so you can find roles that match and apply directly to each listing.
Name your CAD tools explicitly
Rhino, Adobe Illustrator, and Modo each signal different parts of the design pipeline to hiring managers. List every tool you've used for conceptual sketching, 3D modeling, and colorway development separately rather than bundling them into a generic software list.
Prepare a sample brief response for interviews
Many footwear design interviews include a live or take-home design brief timed to 30 or 60 minutes. Practice narrating your ideation process out loud, from consumer insight to silhouette decision, so you don't lose time explaining your method under pressure.
Negotiate around sample and factory access
Salary isn't the only lever in a footwear designer offer. If the role limits overseas factory trips or prototype budgets, ask directly how those decisions are made and whether the team has flexibility, since access to development resources affects your ability to do the job well.
Footwear Designer Jobs: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies are hiring the most footwear designers?
The most active employers for footwear designers right now are NIKE, Cole Haan, and Under Armour, and the most openings are in Oregon, Maryland, and California, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Demand tends to be strongest at athletic and outdoor brands, though fashion and private-label retailers post roles consistently throughout the year.
How many footwear designer jobs are remote?
About 75% of footwear designer openings are fully remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting the hands-on nature of prototype review and factory communication that most roles require. Colorway design, digital concept work, and trend research are the sub-areas most commonly listed as remote-eligible.
How do you become a footwear designer?
Most footwear designers start with a degree in footwear design, industrial design, or fashion design and build technical skills in CAD tools and construction methods during school. Completing internships at brands or manufacturers gives you factory exposure that's hard to gain elsewhere. A portfolio showing sketching, 3D modeling, and finished product development is what moves candidates through screening.
How do you get hired as a footwear designer with little experience?
Entry-level footwear designer roles typically accept candidates who can demonstrate strong technical sketching, basic CAD proficiency, and an understanding of construction fundamentals, even without full-time experience. Freelance projects, school collaborations with brands, or spec work built around real consumer briefs all count as portfolio evidence. Applying to junior roles at smaller brands or private-label manufacturers is often more accessible than starting at a large athletic company.
What does the footwear designer interview process look like?
Most footwear designer interview processes include a portfolio review, a conversation about your design process and category knowledge, and a design exercise or brief response. The brief is often timed and may be completed at home or during a second round. Candidates who reach final stages typically present their brief response to a panel that includes both design and product development stakeholders.
Where can I find and apply to footwear designer jobs?
You can find and apply to footwear designer jobs on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from companies across the United States. Search the listings to find roles that match your experience level and category focus, then apply directly to each one that fits.
See All 22 Footwear Designer Jobs
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