Materials Development Specialist - Footwear

Location:
Beaverton, OR

Duration: 05 months contract

Pay Range: $(32.00 – 35.00)/hr on W2 all-inclusive without benefits

Hybrid:
Monday – Thursday onsite, Friday remote

• Education - Bachelor's degree required
• Understands product creation process (taking ideas and transferring them into 3d samples)
• Ability to interrupt, organize, and make sense of COMPLEX data = can dilute into digestible pieces of wisdom
• Comfortable interacting with different teams and people (collaborative)
• Previous client experience is not required but must have product creation industry experience

• This role will require constant engagement with many cross‑functional partners.
• Candidates will need to be comfortable interacting with teammates of diverse backgrounds and cultural differences.
• For candidates that don't have a technical materials background, I'm open to individuals with strong project management & data analysis skills.

• We are seeking a Footwear Materials Developer II with technical expertise to help drive product excellence through materials within footwear product.
• You will provide tools, palettes, and data across multiple material types to enable effective material selection for end‑use and category ease of use.
• You will act as the bridge between what we hope to deliver aesthetically and what comes to life.
• You will present facts and solutions clearly, with category & consumer in mind, so the team can make informed decisions.

• As a member of the Materials Development team, you will be focused on driving functional excellence and material readiness with a sharp focus on execution of material creation, material sourcing, cost, quality, and implementation of sustainable solutions.
• Materials Development collaborates with vendors, product creation, and other functions in order to establish seasonal material direction, attain on‑time delivery, and ensure product excellence for both consumers and athletes.
• Working on complex footwear projects, you will convert a project brief and a 2D design rendering into a 3D sample that meets the needs of the consumer as well as the needs of the business.
• You will utilize your knowledge and experience to enhance product excellence.
• You will engage in all phases of the product process to ensure projects are managed according to critical dates and completed on time, while meeting design intent, performance goals, costing/profitability and sustainability targets.
• You will ensure that your projects are ready for the commercialization process and can ultimately be manufactured.

• You will partner with Product Development, Design, Engineering, Material Planning & Supply Chain to provide transparency when issues or concerns arise, and you'll collaborate on a resolution.
• You'll serve as the primary contact for vendors as it relates to category specific issues (price, technical specs, performance)
• You will collaborate with product creation team, innovation and sourcing to provide training and education as well as standard methodologies to enable informed decision making.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Materials, Chemistry, Product Development or Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Industrial Design or equivalent combination of education, experience or training
• Minimum of 2 years directly applicable work experience
• High communication and influencing skills, including the ability to interact with leadership and cross functional product creation team members.

• Knowledge of footwear material types including fibers, yarns, textiles, leathers, synthetic leathers, components or trims, manufacturing technologies and equipment, tooling, and materials is highly preferred
• Understanding of various product Materials manufacturing processes required
• Ability to translate lab testing results for end‑use application
• Ability to interpret design intent and offer alternative solutions
• Ability to anticipate needs, mitigate risks, and solve problems
• Attention to detail, active follow‑through, assertiveness, self‑motivation and the ability to work in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to balance multiple competing projects and independently manage workload
• Solid digital literacy with working knowledge of MS office software; material management systems experience preferred
• Ability to travel up to 15% of the time