Designer II, Footwear Innovation

The ACC Innovation Team explores the future of performance footwear through learning, experimentation, and rapid prototyping. By combining consumer insight, sport science, and design exploration, we uncover new possibilities that shape the future of ASICS products and athlete experiences.

We are looking for a creative, hands‑on footwear designer who is energized by open-ended innovation work and excited to grow their craft within a small, collaborative team.

Working closely with and learning from our design manager and senior designer, the Designer II, Footwear Innovation, takes the themes and creative direction set by design leadership and turns them into a high volume of ideas, sketches, and concepts that help the team visualize new high‑performance footwear possibilities. This is a generative, exploration‑focused role: you will spend your time ideating, sketching, and building rough prototypes, and developing concepts to the point where they can be shared, tested, and refined.

This role lives in the early, ambiguous, creative space of footwear innovation rather than in‑line production and is a strong fit for someone who enjoys exploring many directions before any one is chosen.

In the first year, you will have a meaningful career opportunity to immerse in ASICS’ product‑creation craft and build direct relationships with our global design and development teams at ASICS global headquarters in Kobe, Japan.

No supervisory responsibilities.

• Take the themes and creative direction set by design leadership and generate a high volume of ideas, sketches, and concepts that help the team visualize new high‑performance footwear possibilities.
• Explore design language, form, function, and materials within defined innovation projects, balancing creativity with performance goals and manufacturability.
• Create sketches, renderings, rough prototypes, detailed tech packs, and 2D CAD files that clearly communicate concept intent, and partner with development counterparts to share the information needed to make and test them.
• Build and iterate on rough prototypes, integrating handcraft and making as a core part of the creative process.
• Draw inspiration and insight from consumers, internal wear testing, and the internal sports research lab to ideate and conceptualize new high‑performance footwear constructions and technologies.
• Apply knowledge of footwear, design, human performance, and manufacturing to explore fresh approaches to familiar high‑performance footwear challenges.
• Provide design exploration for innovation projects and contribute concepts to innovation reviews and mainline design reviews.
• Present concept work clearly to the design manager so they can keep cross‑functional partners informed on concept progress.

Required:

• Strong sketching and ideation skills, with the ability to generate many concepts quickly.
• Solid understanding of footwear design, construction, and production, including materials/fabrics, molding, and assembly.
• Strong hands‑on prototyping and making skills; integrates handcraft into the creative process.
• Strong 2D CAD and tech‑packaging skills.
• Proficient with Adobe Creative Cloud (Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Highly creative, curious, and genuinely energized by open‑ended, ambiguous creative challenges.
• Comfortable taking creative direction and translating a set theme into multiple concept directions.
• Strong problem‑solving skills.
• Ability to work through and manage ambiguity.
• Strong verbal, written, and visual communication skills.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Able to travel 10-15% of the time, domestically and internationally.

Preferred:

• 3D modeling, rendering, and 3D printing skills to strengthen concept development and communication.
• Knowledge and experience with sustainable design and manufacturing.

• High competency in written communication, with experience and patience when communicating with international partners who use English as a second language.
• Comfortable working within international parent‑company structures, cultures, and business…