Sr. Director, Product Development

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The Senior Director, Product Development provides global leadership for KEEN’s footwear product development organization and is accountable for translating product strategy, design intent, consumer needs, and commercial objectives into innovative, manufacturable, profitable footwear. This role leadsthe global footwear development function from product concept through commercialization, establishing the development standards, technical capabilities, operating disciplines, talent structure, and factory partnerships required to deliver the global product portfolio.

The Senior Director serves as the senior technical and commercialization leader within Global Product & Innovation, partnering closely with Product Management, Design, Color & Materials, Fit & Wear, Innovation, Merchandising, Product Operations, Sourcing, Costing, Engineering, Quality, and owned and partner factories. The role is accountable for protecting product integrity while improving speed, margin, quality, fit, manufacturability,and execution across the portfolio. The Senior Director builds and develops a high-performing footwear development organization capable of supporting KEEN’s current business while creating the technical capabilities required for future growth.

Essential Functions

Description

• Leads the global footwear product development function,establishing functional direction, organizational capabilities,operating standards, talent priorities, and development plans insupport of KEEN’s long-term product and business strategy.
• Translates Global Product & Innovation strategy into development priorities and capabilities that deliver differentiated, consumer-relevant, technically excellent, and commercially viable product.
• Establishes clear accountability, role clarity, and effective deployment of development expertise across product categories,strategic initiatives, and innovation priorities.
• Builds organizational capability and succession depth through leadership development, coaching, performance management, talent development, and organizational planning.

Product Creation & Technical Excellence

• Leads development excellence from concept through commercialization, ensuring product achieves design intent,consumer benefit, fit, performance, quality, cost, sustainability,manufacturability, and delivery objectives.
• Establishes and governs development standards, technical requirements, and critical milestones necessary for product readiness and successful commercialization.
• Serves as a senior footwear technical authority, providing leadership across construction, pattern engineering, materials, tooling, fit,manufacturing methods, testing, and commercialization.
• Partners with Product Management, Design, and Innovation leadership to identify technical opportunities, address development risks, and guide trade-offs among innovation, consumer value,complexity, cost, margin, quality, and speed.
• Provides senior Development leadership in partnership with Engineering, Sourcing, Costing, Quality, owned factories, and external manufacturing partners to improve development effectiveness and commercialization outcomes.
• Drives early collaboration between product creation and manufacturing to improve quality, speed, cost, manufacturability, and commercialization readiness while reducing late-stage redesign and unnecessary complexity.
• Leads Development’s contribution to product cost and gross-margin objectives, partnering cross-functionally to improve product economics through engineering, construction, materials, tooling,platforming, and complexity reduction.
• Ensures technical, manufacturing, and cost implications are understood early enough in product creation to support informed product and business decisions.
• Provides…