Sr. Footwear Designer - Genesco Brands Group

The Ideal Candidate

The Senior Footwear Designer, for Genesco Brands Group will join a team of designers and report to the SVP of Design. The primary role will be to create and develop commercial and brand relevant products informed by each business unit's lifestyle and market position, collaborating in a team environment to achieve division objectives.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Under the direction of the SVP of Design, the Senior Footwear Designer will design and develop products that are industry leading, brand relevant, and commercial.
• Partner with Product Development and Sourcing to create market relevant products across multiple categories ensuring integrity with respect to last, upper and model development.
• Partner with Product Merchandising in the creation of line plans, briefs, and final product solutions aligned with business goals and consumer needs.
• Execute the complete vision including Color/Cads and Materials along with fully completed tech packs.
• Deliver on-time product solutions in conjunction with the Product Development calendar and varying business needs ensuring that all deadlines, line plans, and deliverables are met.
• Provide and present timely and relevant business, design, consumer, and cultural storytelling in conjunction with specific projects and briefs.
• Lead in the development of appropriate sell-in tools to effectively communicate concepts and strategies.
• Study and research current and future trends; maintain expert knowledge in design trends, production techniques, and new technologies.
• Conduct research onsite and off to bring new ideas to the category and brands.
• Special projects as assigned.

Experience and Skills You'll Need to Have

• Bachelor's degree in industrial design or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in footwear design.
• Energetic, inspiring, creative, forward-thinking, and enthusiastic about design.
• Self-motivated and equally comfortable working within a team - must be a team player.
• Organized, structured, asks questions and seeks understanding first.
• Pushes oneself to exceed expectations.
• Excels at being adaptable, versatile, and able to work under pressure.
• Ability to work under deadlines, manage multiple priorities, work independently, take initiative, and pay close attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt to quickly changing priorities and fast track projects as needed.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must have an exceptional knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite - Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign.
• Must have working knowledge of duty rates of footwear aiding in material selections in hitting pricing objectives.
• Must be proficient in creating line art and color cads in Illustrator.
• Working knowledge of Macintosh systems, Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint), Outlook, and PLM.
• Athletic design experience preferred.
• Must have traditional hands-on footwear development skills - Proto corrections, materials, tech packs, specs.
• Strong knowledge of fashion and market trends with an understanding of each brands market position and the drive to evolve it.
• Must be able to travel both domestically and internationally.