Footwear Designer II - Lifestyle​/Collaborations

Who We Are:

Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.

The New Balance design team is a closely connected global community united by a common pursuit of setting the standard for product quality, this our legacy to uphold through a balance of innovation, craftsmanship and consumer focused design. The Energy team’s mission is to create compelling footwear products that generate excitement around the brand spark consumer interest and bring new energy to the marketplace through thoughtful design storytelling and collaboration.

The D2 role is an instrumental part of the global design community and Lifestyle category, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to create compelling, brand-right footwear solutions across a range broad range of footwear products, collaborators, and project complexities that represent the intersection of sport and culture.

• Translate partner requests, briefs, concepts and creative direction into thoughtful footwear solutions.
• Design solutions ranging from color/material updates on existing footwear models to new product creation, applying industry knowledge to achieve final result.
• Interpret both highly prescriptive and ambiguous partner requests, asking the right questions to understand the underlying objective and establish clear design direction.
• Act as a trusted design partner by providing creative guidance, recommendations and solutions that balance partner needs with brand objectives and product positioning.
• Identify potential design, material, manufacturing or brand challenges early and proactively engage the appropriate cross-functional partners to develop solutions.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Product Development, Materials and Color teams to solve problems and inform design decisions.
• Manage multiple projects with varying levels of complexity and autonomy while maintaining organization, attention to detail, and accountability to key milestones.
• Clearly communicate design intent, project status, complexity, risks and opportunities to immediate team members and leadership.
• Maintain awareness of footwear, fashion, sport, culture, technology and marketplace trends and apply relevant insights to design recommendations.

• Experience - 4+ years of footwear design experience, preferable within lifestyle, sport, or collaborative product design.
• Product Understanding – strong understanding of footwear design, construction, materials, color, and how concepts translate onto a physical footwear product.
• Strong Design Foundation – demonstrated ability in color theory, material application, graphic design, pattern, composition, proportion and visual hierarchy, with the ability to create compelling solutions across varying levels of complexity.
• Design Judgment – ability to recognize what is working, identify opportunities for improvement and make thoughtful decisions that balance aesthetics, brand, product and commercial considerations.
• Brand & Culture – demonstrates an active interest in footwear, sport, fashion, culture, trends and technology; brings relevant marketplace and consumer insights into the creative process.
• Highly Collaborative –actively seeks out information and expertise, navigates feedback effectively, builds relationships across functions and brings the right people into a problem at the right time.
• Diplomati…