Lead Product Engineer - UGG Footwear

Lead Product Engineer - UGG Footwear

At Deckers Brands, Together, Every Step is a promise kept that every employee can bring their authentic self, is valued and supported, as a whole person, at work and beyond. Together, Every Step is how we continue to deliver exceptional business results, experience an amazing place to work, and have a positive impact on the communities and world around us.

Location:

Goleta, CA (Hybrid)

Typically 3 times per week in office, Tuesday – Thursday

As a Lead Product Engineer, you'll independently lead the development and validation of footwear across multiple product categories, with a particular focus on tooling. You'll drive execution from concept through commercialization, ensuring alignment to design intent, manufacturability, cost targets, and quality standards. You'll serve as a key technical partner across Design, Product Development, and Asia teams, influencing decisions, resolving tooling challenges, and advancing best practices within the product engineering organization.

• Lead tooling development across assigned categories, ensuring alignment to design intent and engineering standards
• Create, refine, and implement tooling procedures, documentation standards, and best practices
• Provide technical guidance to team members and support consistent execution across projects
• Apply structured analytical approaches to resolve complex tooling issues and drive corrective actions
• Anticipate and mitigate risks early through trial analysis, modeling, and development insights
• Develop and enhance tooling SOPs, checklists, and process workflows to improve consistency and efficiency
• Track and improve key tooling KPIs and support vendor benchmarking and capability development
• Partner with Design, Product Development, and Asia teams to ensure tooling feasibility, cost alignment, and scalable production solutions
• Lead tooling readiness for commercialization, ensuring performance, durability, and aesthetic standards are met
• Provide training, coaching, and technical guidance to engineers to elevate team capability

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related field (or equivalent industry experience)
• 6+ years in footwear engineering, tooling, or mold development
• Proven experience leading tooling development across multiple projects or categories from concept through commercialization
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex development challenges and anticipate risks across the product lifecycle
• Experience collaborating with global teams and Asia-based manufacturing partners
• Track record of improving processes, tooling performance, or development efficiency
• Strong technical knowledge of tooling construction and processes (EVA, rubber, PU, injection)
• Advanced problem-solving and root cause analysis capabilities using structured, data-driven approaches
• Ability to evaluate and interpret 2D/3D drawings, tooling blueprints, and engineering specifications
• Project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and timelines independently
• Experience developing and improving processes, SOPs, and engineering best practices
• Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration skills
• Proficiency in PLM systems, Excel tracking tools, and engineering documentation

• Competitive Pay and Bonuses
• Financial Planning and Wellbeing
• Time Away from Work
• Extras, Discounts and Perks
• Growth and Development
• Health and Wellness

$ - $

The salary range posted reflects the estimated minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for this role in:

Goleta, California

Individual pay will be determined by location and additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Equal Employment Opportunity Diversity and inclusion are key to our success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds who share a passion for our brands. We welcome qualified applicants regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, mental or physical disability, medical condition and all the other beautiful parts of your identity.