WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR 

Nike Athlete Promo Footwear (APF) is one of the fastest paced categories at Nike, where designers push the edge of sport and culture for our athletes for all levels of Mens/Womens/Kids across 9+ sports. The Athlete Promo Footwear team is focused on the athlete experience by curating their journeys through player exclusive footwear, creating energy through color/material/graphics on the biggest stages in sport, as well as new product creation for specialty + Olympic sports. The ideal APF designer will be responsible for establishing rich narratives for our Nike athletes which include material toolbox direction, color strategy, and graphic design direction. This designer will be an active and upbeat participant in the creative process and have excellent cross-functional communication skills, presenting design concepts to internal and external audiences and performing complex results in a fast-paced environment. This senior designer will be a versatile, creative problem solver who excels under tight deadlines and a wide variety of projects on different timelines. This senior designer will also have a strong understanding of sport culture, and an extensive knowledge of footwear construction, color theory, graphic creation and textiles. 

WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON 

If this is you, you will be helping to create unique player exclusive and team footwear across Men’s, Women’s and Kids sport specific product, including but not limited to NBA, WNBA, NFL, MLB. This will include setting distinct color and material direction, developing original narratives and graphic storytelling, and establishing prints, patterns and trims across multiple tiers and 9+ different sports. Athletes range from Nike signature Athletes on the biggest sport stages to high school team bank and licensed product. You will work closely with the APF product management teams to build engaging, high energy narratives that meet the needs of our Nike athletes and teams, and will partner regularly with Development teams to communicate design intent, help with schematic creation and review and workshop prototypes. The ideal candidate will also be responsible for managing and designing presentation materials and presenting concepts to teams, leadership, and athletes.  

WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH 

This is an individual contributor opportunity reporting to a Footwear Design Director and involves working directly with the Athlete Promo footwear design, product management and development teams, as well as Nike’s inline product categories to align on seasonal directives.  

WHAT YOU BRING 

• Bachelor’s degree in textiles, materials, apparel, product design or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience 

• Extensive knowledge of sport culture and fashion trends in footwear and apparel. 

• Proficient in all aspects of graphic and product design including drawing/sketching, illustration, CAD development, print and pattern development, trim creation, color theory and technical applications. 

• Foundational understanding of footwear construction, schematic development and tech pack creation. 

• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects and timelines at once. 

• Ability to translate athlete insights into thoughtful narratives and graphic storytelling. 

• Strong visual and verbal presentation skills; able to effectively show and communicate design intent to internal and external audiences. 

• Professional level experience using Illustrator & Photoshop; Miro 

• Delivering exceptional product on condensed timelines, across multiple seasons and sports