Senior Materials Innovator, Footwear

Your opportunity at Arc’teryx:

As the Senior Materials Innovator, Footwear you define and drive the materials innovation strategy for Arc’teryx footwear. You bring deep expertise in performance footwear materials, construction, sourcing and testing to create tangible solutions for mountain athletes moving through complex terrain. You partner closely with Footwear Design, Development, Engineering, Raw Materials, Advanced Concepts, Supply Chain and external partners to translate material opportunities into the next generation of high-performance outdoor footwear.

This role is based out of our Portland office and is expected to be performed on location.

Meet your future team:

The Footwear team creates purpose-built solutions for mountain athletes moving across mountain terrain. Working at the intersection of design, development, biomechanics, materials science and manufacturing, we take an immersive approach to identifying our athlete’s needs to build, test, and validate products that solve for real functional challenges. Fueled by curiosity, we are builders, problem solvers and outdoor enthusiasts who collaborate across Arc’teryx and strategic partners to bring our vision to redefine the industry to life.

If you were the Senior Materials Innovator, Footwear now, here are some of the core activities you would be doing:: Creating, driving and maintaining the footwear materials innovation roadmap, including short, mid and long-term opportunities across uppers, textiles, foams, membranes, rubbers, reinforcements, trims and component systems

• Leveraging your footwear materials expertise, supplier network and curiosity to identify, prototype and validate new solutions for mountain athletes
• Managing a portfolio of complex footwear materials projects across seasons and clearly communicating progress, risks and decisions to key stakeholders
• Defining clear briefs, testing plans, budgets and deliverables so footwear material concepts can move effectively from exploration through validation and commercialization

Collaborating with Footwear Design, Development, Product Line Management, Raw Materials, Advanced Concepts and Supply Chain teams to align innovation priorities with athlete needs, manufacturing realities, sustainability goals and commercialization timelines

Building and maintaining strong relationships with footwear mills, foam suppliers, rubber partners, component makers, factories, startups and academic collaborators

Creating strategic footwear materials partnerships with external suppliers, technology partners and researchers to accelerate performance, comfort, durability, protection and sustainability outcomes

Staying current with innovations in footwear manufacturing, textiles, nonwovens, membranes, coatings, foams, rubbers, reinforcements, bonding methods, waterproof-breathable systems and finishing technologies

• Partnering with testing, lab and field validation teams to define footwear material performance requirements and translate learnings into actionable material improvements
• Supporting proprietary footwear material solutions, exclusivity opportunities and Intellectual Property considerations in partnership with Legal and cross-functional teams
• Partnering with Innovation Management and Footwear leadership on research, engineering, supplier and funding opportunities that support footwear materials advancement
• Driving key initiatives that improve footwear durability, repairability, lower-impact material choices, sustainable and circular design opportunities

Here are some of the things you could be working on in the future:: You will partner with Footwear Design & Development and Advanced Concept teams to build a multi-year footwear materials innovation roadmap, including priority technologies, strategic supplier partnerships, testing milestones and athlete validation plans.

Are you our next Senior Materials Innovator, Footwear?: You have a degree in materials science, materials engineering, textile science, industrial design, engineering or a related technical field

• You have 8+ years of footwear, technical apparel, hardgoods or materials innovation experience, with direct exposure to performance footwear materials and development
• You have proven experience managing material innovation projects, supplier relationships and cross-functional stakeholder alignment
• You have experience working directly with footwear material suppliers, component vendors, factories and development partners in domestic and global locations
• You are experienced in identifying, evaluating and protecting proprietary material opportunities with internal and external legal teams
• You have exceptional communication skills, including a proven ability to communicate findings to both scientists and nonscientists with strong presentation skills
• You have a strong ability to build a mindset and culture of innovation within your team and beyond
• You have a strong understanding of performance footwear materials, construction, testing, fit, durability and manufacturing constraints
• You remain highly flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity
• You effectively balance autonomy and collaboration
• You inspire breakthrough thinking and continuous improvement
• Your passion for your work is paralleled by your passion for getting outside and living it
• You are able to travel both nationally and internationally as required for research, development, testing, and partner collaboration
• Compensation:: The salary range for the role is USD$94,000 - USD$123,000