Lead Materials Innovator – NIKE, Inc., Beaverton, OR. Create new and innovative underfoot footwear components by utilizing a variety of polymers, including thermoplastics, thermosets, and composites within a wide range of material processing areas, including injection molding, extrusion, foaming, and compounding; collaborate with other technical experts and participate in ideation sessions; work with suppliers, manufacturing partners, and laboratories to create innovative solutions that meet all required footwear performance and sustainability specifications; partner with NXT Footwear Materials team, and cross functional teammates within Innovation and across Nike including Product Development, Engineering and Manufacturing, Sustainability, Data Analytics, Business Development, Legal, Procurement, Chemical Engineering, Design, Research and Testing Labs to deliver solutions for footwear systems; conduct a range of multi-functional projects of varying readiness levels to innovate and create the future of Nike footwear, predominantly through underfoot materials and components; create and support new product concepts and strategic development efforts within Nike Footwear Innovation; articulate project goals and objectives to relevant audiences; and drive projects forward in pursuit of data driven decision making. Telecommuting is available from anywhere in the U.S., except from AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, KY, LA, MT, ND, NE, NH, NM, NV, OH, OK, RI, SD, VT, WV, and WY. 

Employer will accept a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Material Science, or Chemical Engineering and five (5) years of progressive, post-baccalaureate experience in job offered or in a materials-related occupation.  
 
Experience must include: 

• Injection molding

• Foam processing

• Adhesive chemistry 

• Footwear manufacturing 

• Rubber processing 

• Design of Experiment software including JMP and MiniTab

• Tensile testing of soft materials including Instron and Electropuls operation

• Cost analysis and modeling

• Carbon footprint calculations

• Polymer compounding including single and twin screw compouning

• Polymer extrusion

• Footwear mechanical testing