Brooks Sports, Inc.:
Footwear Developer II Innovation Job in HCM City, VT
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HCM City, VT
Full-time | Design - Footwear
About the job
Who We Are:
Brooks is a team of passionate people united by a desire to do meaningful work, lead healthy lives and make a difference. We share a focused mission: to inspire everyone to run and be active. That’s it. No distractions—it’s all about the run. Through science, creativity, service, authenticity and connection, we obsess over delivering the best running gear on the planet. We do it our way, with our unique spirit, with a goal of being more relevant to runners than any other brand, day after day and mile after mile. We are determined to innovate, challenging ourselves to lead thought at every turn. Inside these walls and on the roads, tracks and trails, we live and breathe Run Happy, celebrating the positive impact running has on our lives and others. We inject it into all we do because it makes everything better, smarter, more fun and more memorable. Our company culture defines us, bonds us together and creates the conditions for success. It is lived daily as a behavioral expression of our collective set of brand values: Connect with People, Innovate for our Customer, Compete as a Team, Build Trust, Have Fun & Bring Passion, and Be Active. If you’re on our team, it means you’re part of creating something extraordinary. You’re part of Brooks.
Your Job:
The Brooks Next innovation group is a team of world-class innovative minds collectively focused on improving the performance running experience through product, experiential and biomechanical innovation. They constantly challenge assumptions of how products are made and together they shape the future of running footwear. They stretch the limits of science and human performance with every innovation and are relentlessly focused on changes that benefit the Brooks runner. They pioneer relationships with manufacturing partners and suppliers, uncovering new partnerships with global industry leaders to create innovations and bring new Brooks innovations to life. The Next team operates across the full range of product creation, merchandising, brand strategy, sourcing and new business development to relentlessly pursue methods to make better-performing, higher-quality and sustainable products faster and more efficiently than ever before.
As our Footwear Innovation Developer II, you will utilize your advanced product and process knowledge to manage the product development process for innovation programs that will drive the future of Brooks Running. Your focus and scope will be heavily on Track & Field product utilizing your expertise of plate development, injection molding, construction, composites, and applicable materials. You will work with a global, cross-functional product creation team from the collection of insights through commercialization to deliver products that provide new running experiences and exceed runner expectations. You will create and manage project timelines across the innovation triad driving the research, prototyping and validation of ideas through the advanced R&D process delivering ready for in-line product and technologies. You will work with strategic partners outside of Brooks to cultivate new ideas and deliver groundbreaking products that challenge and shape the future of running.
Your Responsibilities:
- Partner and be a key counterpart to the US-based Developer as a liaison to Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners, engineering, costing, materials, testing lab, and manufacturing to ensure that products exceed runner expectations, are manufacturable and meet performance and quality expectations
- Ability to manage multiple innovation projects from Portfolio Review, Brief & Research through Design, Development & Validation and into Commercialization & Manufacturing
- Create and execute project development plans / schedules according to the strategic critical dates that lead to on–time delivery of samples in support of key meetings and milestones including validation, technology transfers and final product/ technology confirmation
- Manage the prototyping, testing and validation of concepts through your advanced problem solving and product creation skills which include: pattern making and construction techniques; blueprints, mold creation and midsole/ outsole creation; Lab, fit, wear and biomechanical testing and specification; and manufacturing processes used in the creation of our product
- Display an in-depth knowledge of the manufacturing process with the ability to manipulate it in order to advance
and achieve new manufacturing techniques which enhance the overall performance and efficiency of product
- Possess a high aptitude for creative problem solving and critical thinking with a proven track record
- Recommend and specify to the product team the material, component and construction options to meet product’s functional goals, as well as assure product performance integrity through product testing (physical and field testing)
- Initiate and lead meetings with product teams during various phases of development to review, evaluate, update and ultimately drive the decision-making process that leads to on–time production confirmation and margin goals
- Create and build a knowledge base and stay informed about latest vendor capabilities and performance, factory relationships, quality issues, materials pricing and lead times.
- Work with the Innovation Manager to further define and implement the Next process with all its steps and milestones
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in English, Engineering, Design, Biomechanics or other applicable technical degrees.
- 6+ successful years of experience leading the product development of high-performance footwear projects
- Experience and technical knowledge in development of composite plates, Track & Field, or cleated products is preferred.
- Technical expertise in footwear product development with an advanced knowledge of the total footwear construction process including outsole/midsole drawing, pattern engineering, material construction, testing and costing.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing capabilities, anticipating issues, problem solving with timely resolution.
- Proven ability to lead and influence in a collaborative, cross-functional group without command/ control to meet strategic objectives.
- Demonstrated ability to develop highly productive relationships with individuals and teams that are made up of diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds resulting in effective working relationships across the company
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, with an advanced ability to convey new ideas, concepts and functional expertise within project teams and to external stakeholders. Presentation skills including professional knowledge of Powerpoint, Illustrator or other electronic means to communicate new concepts or ideas perferred. Technical writing capability a plus.
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all of the pieces fit together and affect one another.
- Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our consumers, our partners, our products or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
- Curious and open minded; always open to be inventive and creative with the ability to challenge the status quo –always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details.
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Brooks is a team of passionate people united by a desire to do meaningful work, lead healthy lives and make a difference. We share a focused mission: to inspire everyone to run and be active. That’s it. No distractions—it’s all about the run. Through science, creativity, service, authenticity and connection, we obsess over delivering the best running gear on the planet. We do it our way, with our unique spirit, with a goal of being more relevant to runners than any other brand, day after day and mile after mile. We are determined to innovate, challenging ourselves to lead thought at every turn. Inside these walls and on the roads, tracks and trails, we live and breathe Run Happy, celebrating the positive impact running has on our lives and others. We inject it into all we do because it makes everything better, smarter, more fun and more memorable. Our company culture defines us, bonds us together and creates the conditions for success. It is lived daily as a behavioral expression of our collective set of brand values: Connect with People, Innovate for our Customer, Compete as a Team, Build Trust, Have Fun & Bring Passion, and Be Active. If you’re on our team, it means you’re part of creating something extraordinary. You’re part of Brooks.
Your Job:
The Brooks Next innovation group is a team of world-class innovative minds collectively focused on improving the performance running experience through product, experiential and biomechanical innovation. They constantly challenge assumptions of how products are made and together they shape the future of running footwear. They stretch the limits of science and human performance with every innovation and are relentlessly focused on changes that benefit the Brooks runner. They pioneer relationships with manufacturing partners and suppliers, uncovering new partnerships with global industry leaders to create innovations and bring new Brooks innovations to life. The Next team operates across the full range of product creation, merchandising, brand strategy, sourcing and new business development to relentlessly pursue methods to make better-performing, higher-quality and sustainable products faster and more efficiently than ever before.
As our Footwear Innovation Developer II, you will utilize your advanced product and process knowledge to manage the product development process for innovation programs that will drive the future of Brooks Running. Your focus and scope will be heavily on Track & Field product utilizing your expertise of plate development, injection molding, construction, composites, and applicable materials. You will work with a global, cross-functional product creation team from the collection of insights through commercialization to deliver products that provide new running experiences and exceed runner expectations. You will create and manage project timelines across the innovation triad driving the research, prototyping and validation of ideas through the advanced R&D process delivering ready for in-line product and technologies. You will work with strategic partners outside of Brooks to cultivate new ideas and deliver groundbreaking products that challenge and shape the future of running.
Your Responsibilities:
- Partner and be a key counterpart to the US-based Developer as a liaison to Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners, engineering, costing, materials, testing lab, and manufacturing to ensure that products exceed runner expectations, are manufacturable and meet performance and quality expectations
- Ability to manage multiple innovation projects from Portfolio Review, Brief & Research through Design, Development & Validation and into Commercialization & Manufacturing
- Create and execute project development plans / schedules according to the strategic critical dates that lead to on–time delivery of samples in support of key meetings and milestones including validation, technology transfers and final product/ technology confirmation
- Manage the prototyping, testing and validation of concepts through your advanced problem solving and product creation skills which include: pattern making and construction techniques; blueprints, mold creation and midsole/ outsole creation; Lab, fit, wear and biomechanical testing and specification; and manufacturing processes used in the creation of our product
- Display an in-depth knowledge of the manufacturing process with the ability to manipulate it in order to advance
and achieve new manufacturing techniques which enhance the overall performance and efficiency of product
- Possess a high aptitude for creative problem solving and critical thinking with a proven track record
- Recommend and specify to the product team the material, component and construction options to meet product’s functional goals, as well as assure product performance integrity through product testing (physical and field testing)
- Initiate and lead meetings with product teams during various phases of development to review, evaluate, update and ultimately drive the decision-making process that leads to on–time production confirmation and margin goals
- Create and build a knowledge base and stay informed about latest vendor capabilities and performance, factory relationships, quality issues, materials pricing and lead times.
- Work with the Innovation Manager to further define and implement the Next process with all its steps and milestones
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in English, Engineering, Design, Biomechanics or other applicable technical degrees.
- 6+ successful years of experience leading the product development of high-performance footwear projects
- Experience and technical knowledge in development of composite plates, Track & Field, or cleated products is preferred.
- Technical expertise in footwear product development with an advanced knowledge of the total footwear construction process including outsole/midsole drawing, pattern engineering, material construction, testing and costing.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing capabilities, anticipating issues, problem solving with timely resolution.
- Proven ability to lead and influence in a collaborative, cross-functional group without command/ control to meet strategic objectives.
- Demonstrated ability to develop highly productive relationships with individuals and teams that are made up of diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds resulting in effective working relationships across the company
- Strong verbal and written communication skills in English, with an advanced ability to convey new ideas, concepts and functional expertise within project teams and to external stakeholders. Presentation skills including professional knowledge of Powerpoint, Illustrator or other electronic means to communicate new concepts or ideas perferred. Technical writing capability a plus.
- Keen attention to detail in planning, organization and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all of the pieces fit together and affect one another.
- Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our consumers, our partners, our products or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
- Curious and open minded; always open to be inventive and creative with the ability to challenge the status quo –always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details.
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