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What will you do? 

A day in the life of a Senior Innovation Designer – Performance Footwear at VF looks a little like this. 

The Senior Innovation Designer for Performance Footwear is a strategic creative leader responsible for shaping the future of the brand’s high-performance product ecosystem. This role drives the discovery, design, and validation of breakthrough concepts that redefine what athletes can achieve. Operating at the intersection of design, biomechanics, engineering, and emerging technology, the Senior Innovation Designer leads complex projects, mentors teammates, and influences long-term innovation strategy.

This is a role for a visionary maker-builder who thrives in ambiguity, pushes boundaries, and can turn unproven ideas into validated, scalable solutions.

The Senior Innovation Designer shapes the future of performance footwear by turning bold ideas into the next generation of athlete solutions. This role not only creates what comes next—it influences how the brand defines innovation for years to come.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more. 

Innovation Leadership & Strategy

• Lead multi-phase innovation projects from insight development through validated concept handoff.
• Identify long-term opportunity areas and influence the creation of the multi-year innovation roadmap.
• Drive early-stage experimentation, establishing hypotheses and designing test methods to validate performance claims.
• Communicate project strategy, risk, and impact to cross-functional leadership.

Advanced Concept Creation

• Develop original, high-impact design concepts across cushioning, traction, upper construction, fit systems, and emerging technologies.
• Transform athlete insights, biomechanics data, and material science opportunities into differentiated performance solutions.
• Create visually compelling renderings, prototypes, and narratives that inspire action and alignment.

Prototyping & Technical Exploration

• Build and direct the creation of advanced prototypes using 3D modeling, additive manufacturing, experimental materials, and hands-on methods.
• Partner with engineering, materials, and sports science teams to evaluate function, refine solutions, and push technical feasibility.
• Translate findings into actionable design criteria, technical specifications, and performance requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the design lead across multidisciplinary teams including engineering, materials, testing, product creation, and manufacturing.
• Mentor junior designers; elevate the overall quality of design thinking and technical rigor within the innovation team.
• Influence future-season product lines by delivering validated, manufacturable concepts.

Execution & Communication

• Present innovation concepts to executives, category leaders, athletes, and cross-functional partners with clarity and storytelling excellence.
• Ensure design intent is preserved through iterative prototyping, development, and transfer to product creation teams.
• Produce high-quality documentation including concept decks, functional briefs, technical specs, and design rationale.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 6–10+ years of experience in performance footwear, advanced concepts, industrial design, or highly technical product creation.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Industrial Design, Product Design, Engineering, Biomechanics, or related field.
• Demonstrated track record of delivering innovative solutions in ambiguous environments.
• Expert-level sketching, form development, 3D modeling (Rhino, SolidWorks, Alias, Blender, Fusion), and storytelling.
• Strong prototyping skills across physical and digital methods.
• Ability to guide complex projects and influence decision-making across teams.
• Experience collaborating with engineering, sports science, material development, and athlete testing teams.

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred:

• Experience shipping category-defining or patented products.
• Deep knowledge of performance testing protocols, biomechanics, and athlete insights.
• Background in advanced materials, cushioning platforms, digital manufacturing, or computational design.
• Ability to connect high-level strategic thinking with hands-on execution and prototyping.

Success in role:

• Delivers innovation concepts that meaningfully advance athlete performance and create competitive advantage.
• Demonstrates strategic thought leadership and elevates the innovation design discipline.
• Drives clarity, momentum, and alignment across complex, cross-functional projects.
• Consistently produces exceptional design work rooted in performance, craft, and technical rigor.

Now WE have a question for YOU. 

Are you in?

Hiring Range:

Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation: You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com  and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at [email protected]. VF will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals to the extent required by applicable law.

Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.