Senior Designer - Footwear

As a Senior Footwear Designer, you design and develop advanced comprehensive product solutions that are aligned with the Arc’teryx design philosophies, continuously exceeding our users’ evolving needs. In this role, you will support with establishing the long‑term vision and design strategy for our Footwear category, helping define a strong and ownable footwear DNA that connects technical innovation, mountain utility, brand expression, and commercial relevance.

You will bring your curiosity and passion for product to imagine and build innovative, relevant, and resolved footwear designs that create meaningful commercial drivers for the business. You are an innovative problem solver with a focus on collaborative teamwork.

This role is based out of our Portland office and is expected to be performed on‑location.

The Arc’teryx Footwear team creates innovative, technical product that exceeds the core mountain athlete’s needs in the outdoors. We are builders, problem solvers and passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Fueled by curiosity, we take an immersive approach to identifying our athlete’s needs and build, test, and validate products that solve for real functional challenges. We are a passionate collective with a focus on collaborative teamwork and our vision is to redefine the industry.

• Executing all design needs for assigned collection and projects within the seasonal offering
• Supporting stage gates, meetings, presentations, and long‑term strategy work
• Helping build and evolve a clear footwear design DNA that strengthens Arc’teryx’s point of view across form, fit, function, materials, and brand expression
• Partnering with PLM, Development, Merchandising, and Commercial teams to identify and build key product drivers that balance athlete needs, brand leadership, and business growth
• Creating strong working relationships with your immediate team, cross functionally, and with overseas teams; communicating clearly and frequently on all topics related to our design, athlete and guest
• Serving the mountain athlete and broader guest needs through research and observation, leveraging user‑centered and iterative design approaches
• Driving the design process from ideation and concept, through to the guest
• Supporting the execution of new technologies, materials, constructions, and design for manufacturing techniques
• Taking on athlete and user feedback in order to improve upon initial design proposals
• Mentoring designers, developers, and new teammates by sharing skills, knowledge and experience
• Creating and visually conveying concepts, tech packs, patterns, mock ups, and prototypes to prove new concepts; presenting work at all stage gates in internal reviews and meetings as needed
• Providing the Product Creation Development team with detailed product tech packs, inclusive of spec drawings, patterns, fits, materials and color information
• Collaborating with the Raw Materials team to source, develop, and test new materials
• Developing and maintaining a thorough understanding of existing Arc’teryx materials and manufacturing techniques
• Defining and building in collaboration with other designers, creating new and better toolbox solutions
• Staying current with industry trends
• Assisting with product design changes; addressing in‑line production needs as required
• Collaborating with the Colour team to provide end‑use needs, material considerations and feedback
• Adhering to the Arc’teryx sustainability design principles, while also driving future initiatives in consideration of footwear needs

• Working on…