Technical Footwear Designer & Product Developer

Technical Footwear Designer & Product Developer | Confidential | Competitive Salary | North of England

This is not your everyday footwear role.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to join a brand that's turning heads, rewriting the rules of athleisure and performance footwear, and redefining what it means to innovate in design and materials. Based in the heart of creativity, you'll step inside the mind of visionary founders who are humble, driven, and naturally gifted entrepreneurs - and help bring their bold ideas to life.

This is a rare opportunity to build a category and a team from scratch, to shape a range that will make a statement globally, and to leave your mark on every step someone takes in your designs.

If you live and breathe footwear, understand the balance between creative concept and technical precision, and crave a role where you can be daring, ambitious, and genuinely celebrated, this is your moment.

Why This Role Is Special:

• Be Bold & Creative: Lead the footwear innovation process from concept sketches to technical execution, with the freedom to experiment and push boundaries.

• Build From Scratch: Create a category, set processes, and shape a product development culture that will influence the brand for years to come.

• Inside the Founders' Brain: Work directly with inspiring, humble, and ambitious entrepreneurs who respect, trust, and empower their team.

• Make Waves in the Industry: Deliver a launch that will capture attention, set trends, and establish a new benchmark in performance and lifestyle footwear.

• Collaborative & Empowering: Join a culture that values respect, creativity, and integrity - refreshing, supportive, and built to inspire.

• Once-in-a-Lifetime Impact: Your designs, material innovations, and technical expertise will be at the heart of a high-profile, high-potential launch.

What You'll Be Doing:

• End-to-End Product Ownership: Take charge of the product lifecycle - from ideation and initial concepts through prototyping, technical specs, and final production.

• Footwear Innovation: Push the limits with materials, fabrics, performance technologies, and manufacturing processes to create footwear that excels in style, fit, and function.

• Technical Design Expertise: Set standards for grading, workbooks, blocks, and sizing while ensuring flawless execution of care labels, fit, and quality control.

• Supplier & Manufacturing Collaboration: Work closely with global suppliers and factories, influencing material choices, production methods, and innovation opportunities.

• Trend-Led Concept Creation: Stay ahead of the market, translate trends into product concepts, and ensure every design is commercially and technically feasible.

• Team & Category Development: Help build a high-performing product development team, establishing best practices, workflows, and a culture of creativity and excellence.

Who We're Looking For:

• Footwear Expertise: Deep knowledge of footwear design, technical specifications, materials, and performance innovations.

• Creative & Analytical: Able to marry visionary design ideas with technical precision to deliver products that are beautiful, functional, and high-performing.

• Experience: 4+ years in footwear product development or technical design, ideally in performance, lifestyle, or high-end fashion environments.

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: Naturally ambitious, confident, and proactive - someone who thrives in building something from scratch.

• Collaborative & Humble: Strong communicator who works across teams, builds relationships, and respects the vision of founders while contributing your own ideas.

• Bold & Memorable: Not afraid to take risks, experiment, and create products that stand out in a crowded marketplace.

This is a truly extraordinary opportunity to help craft a category, innovate in performance footwear, and work in a culture that genuinely respects, values, and empowers its people. You'll be part of something growing, ambitious, and impossible to ignore - a project that will leave a legacy in the industry.

Confidentiality is essential for this role. Full details will be shared with shortlisted candidates