Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design

About the role

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That's why we're driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive - whether it's a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line. Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation. Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success: Runner First We act in the best interest of the runner Word is Bond We do what we say we'll do Champion Heart We give our all in everything we do There is no "I" in Run We stay generous with our humanity Keep Moving We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic! We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we're all moving towards something. Let's run there. Your Job: As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will own and direct the AESTHETIC READINESS of Brooks Running footwear seasonal design marker including the emotional storytelling of color, graphic, material, finishes and trend to constantly increase the SCOPE OF DESIGN & TREND. In your visionary capacity you are steering the emotional experience of our footwear products to make a positive happy impact. You will work together with multiple Brooks Running design functions to connect the functionality of the product with our aesthetic vision. As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will create and manage the long-term direction of our seasonal palettes of color, graphic, material, and finishes through the creative foundation of the CRAFTED BEAUTY. By directing through the creative foundation and the constant integration of digital creation tools, you will elevate the vision our CRAFTED BEAUTY foundation as a periodic design reference for Brooks Running footwear while maintaining brand direction and appropriate aesthetic appeal for a targeted consumer. As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will directly oversee the design functions of Color & Trend Design for ALL footwear product (Inline, Innovation and Lifestyle) as well as directional for head-to-toe enterprise initiatives, and Product Virtualization. With your extensive experience in trend analysis and energy you will inspire, oversee, and coach, the leadership of each group with your extensive experience in trend analysis and energy. You are proactively anticipating risks and effectively lead the team to navigate any challenges while minimizing exposure to the business. A key element of your role will be to apply and to develop critical thinking, problem solving and process improvement skills in your managers and others. You will provide opportunities to your team to apply these skills and have input on decisions. As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will be a member of the leadership teams of our extended Seasonal Creation Leader group to see your vision of the emotional experience through all times of product creation. You will take the leadership role in the implementation and the establishment of our aesthetic views manifested in our CRAFTED BEAUTY - seasonal design language. As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will thrive in ambiguity through collecting empirical data from the habitats of the runner consumer - RUN, WALK, HIKE, RECOVERY, and WORK - to inform the aesthetic direction. You will direct the overall product quality to higher levels through trend research, design research, use of innovative materials and processes to achieve fresh and market relevant directions in color and material applications throughout the product line. As the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will provide clear communication to a variety of people. You are a partner to the whole design organization of Brooks Running and to external organizations. You will be in a partial or a whole design leadership role for our CRAFTED BEAUTY design language as part of multiple work streams - Seasonal Creation Leaders (SCL) including Merchandizing, Development, and Product Marketing to ensure that Brooks is the most LOVED brand for runners worldwide.

Requirements

• 4-year college or university degree in product, graphics, apparel or footwear design, equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be substituted for degree. International education is a plus
• 14+ years of experience creating color/material/textile programs and future vision of consumer goods - ideally sports industry.
• Extensive experience creating aesthetics and stories for international markets of consumer goods.
• Ability to scale and balance aesthetics to include all three major markets NA/EMEA/APLA.
• 7+ year's managerial experience, managing direct reports and developing talent.
• Thorough knowledge of art and design with clear understanding of visual design or any design related environment.
• Proven experience creating and leading the execution of vision and strategy.
• Experience managing external resources.
• Ability to understand design conceptually across product categories.
• Ability to understand design concepts and think conceptually.
• Ability to create designs that meet category needs and commercial opportunities.
• Ability to operate in a fast pace, ever changing work environment.
• Ability to manage a team of professionals to inspire and motivate them to produce their best work.
• Ability to build and foster relationships in a team environment. This position requires employee to engage with many stakeholders, as well as manage various information and relationships.
• Ability and desire to push themselves, others, and the brand forward.

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