As a Lead Material Designer, you will lead the development of innovative material concepts and strategies for Global Football Footwear across performance and lifestyle product. Your work will span the full product creation journey—from concept development and material storytelling through commercialization and manufacturing execution. You will create materials that solve athlete needs while elevating product expression through texture, finish, construction, and innovation.
A typical day may include material concepting, supplier collaboration, sample reviews, prototype evaluations, narrative development, and cross-functional reviews with design and development teams.
• Create original, industry-leading material concepts for football footwear collections
• Develop material strategies that support seasonal narratives, athlete insights, and product performance goals
• Translate consumer, athlete, and cultural insights into innovative material solutions
• Explore and implement new material constructions, finishes, textures, and manufacturing techniques
• Build and refine material palettes that elevate product expression across multiple franchises and product tiers
• Partner with Design, Color, Graphics, and Development teams to ensure cohesive product storytelling
• Collaborate directly with manufacturing partners to achieve material quality, feasibility, and execution
excellence
• Create, evaluate, and refine physical prototypes, mockups, and material samples
• Drive innovation through material exploration while balancing performance, cost, manufacturability, and sustainability goals
• Contribute to both immediate seasonal product creation and long-term material innovation roadmaps
• Lead presentations and communicate design intent to internal and external stakeholders
• Influence and align cross-functional teams around material strategy and creative direction