Senior Lead - Commercialization Engineer

Role Overview

Become a pivotal player in the evolution of innovative footwear solutions. With a high level of autonomy, you will lead complex projects, challenge the status quo, and champion groundbreaking approaches that shape the future of our products. This role demands expertise in navigating technical complexities, managing stakeholder relationships, and transforming visionary concepts into performance-driven outcomes.

Your Mission

• Independently manage multiple high-impact footwear development projects from confirmation to production, establishing methods and procedures for new tasks while potentially supervising team members.
• Utilize your expertise to influence and guide both management and team dynamics.
• Lead the end-to-end commercialization process by leveraging in-depth knowledge of manufacturing processes, fit, material properties, and tooling.
• Act as a crucial liaison between development and production teams, collaborating closely with strategic vendors to ensure product integrity while meeting operational demands.
• Engineer products to achieve efficient manufacturability, optimizing for cost, quality, and performance.
• Manage expectations and negotiate effectively with diverse internal teams and external partners, serving as a key influencer and communication hub.
• Collaborate with computational designers on patterns and tooling construction adjustments to enhance fit and durability, ensuring scalability in manufacturing.
• Document complex tooling and upper-related issues, clearly communicating corrective actions to stakeholders for manufacturing guidelines.

Your Background

• Over 10 years of progressive experience in the footwear industry, with a strong emphasis on innovation and technology commercialization.
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Engineering, Material Science, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience with 2D and 3D computational design is a plus, as is a proven ability to scale new technologies while assessing their market viability.
• Expert knowledge of advanced footwear manufacturing processes such as robotics, automation, tooling, and assembly, with a focus on engineering for scalable replication.
• Demonstrated technical curiosity and strong root-cause analysis capabilities for effective problem-solving.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with a knack for presenting to senior management and external partners.
• A history of employing independent judgement on complex issues, with a capacity to thrive in ambiguous situations.
• Experience mentoring junior team members or supervising project initiatives is highly regarded.
• Willingness to travel up to 15-20% of the time.