Lead, Materials Developer - Footwear Innovation

Values & Innovation

At Under Armour, we are committed to empowering those who strive for more, and the company's values
- Act Sustainably, Celebrate the Wins, Fight on Together, Love Athletes and Stand for Equality - serve as both a roadmap for our teams and the qualities expected of every teammate.

At Under Armour, we are committed to empowering those who strive for more, and the company's values
- Act Sustainably, Celebrate the Wins, Fight on Together, Love Athletes and Stand for Equality - serve as both a roadmap for our teams and the qualities expected of every teammate. Our Values define and unite us, the beliefs that are the red thread that connects everyone at Under Armour. Our values are rallying cries, reminding us why we're here, and fueling everything we do.

Our pursuit of better begins with innovation and with our team's mission of being the best. With us, you get the freedom to go further – no matter your role. That means developing, delivering, and selling the state‑of‑the‑art products and digital tools that make top performers even better.

The Footwear Material Developer, Lead – is a highly dynamic material developer position which demands intimate collaboration internally with Footwear Innovation, Material Development, Product Development, Product, Design, and the Testing Council (field testing, lab testing, biomechanics) as well as externally with UA’s strategic Tier 1, 2, & 3 suppliers. Fundamentally, the function of this role is to support the Director of Footwear Materials— in delivering advanced upper technology platforms and material sustainability solutions from concept to palette‑ready status for adoption across the category product engines.

As a member of the footwear material team, your responsibilities will include driving technology transfers to inline for commercialization. This role is responsible for supporting and aligning projects with the UA operational infrastructure and world class footwear material supply chain. The Lead will focus on Footwear but will also have opportunities to touch all parts of the brand and have access to latest technologies and innovations.

This is an opportunity to be part of a great success story as Under Armour builds and grows their Footwear legacy.

• Research and partner with global ingredient suppliers to explore and ideate beyond the footwear industry in search of new knowledge and ideas that push and challenge the future of Footwear Innovation and circularity
• Initiating new vendor partnerships or material technology developments based on white space opportunities identified by Consumer Insights and articulated in Innovations 5-year plan (5YP)
• Developing new material and component test methodologies/specifications to quantify upper technology performance against the diverse product needs of the focused performer
• When necessary, developing novel QC test methodology to ensure the successful transition of novel upper technologies in partnership with the Proving Grounds Lab and Sourcing team
• Coordinating and evaluating feasibility production trials in partnership with the supplier and in-country Innovation teams
• Tracking against all Proven & Tested requirements and collaborating with inline product teams to ensure all critical information is communicated during transition (such as unique test requirements, costing, minimum order quantities, lead times, process constraints)
• Documenting via data entry all material information and test data in the Centric PLM material library system
• Supporting the evolution of existing Innovation platforms to ensure their successful longevity in the lifecycle plans
• Partnering with the Business Process team to ensure projects are properly accounted for and advanced through the Innovation Pipeline
• Cultivating direct communication with pinnacle UA athletes as a means of garnering unfiltered product feedback and rich athlete need insights
• Traveling to our partners global manufacturing locations to facilitate project completion and foster deeper partnership
• Traveling to global industry events/conferences to…