WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for a Senior Footwear Product Developer to join the China Guangzhou PMO—an advanced product creator who independently leads complex footwear projects from brief through commercialization and production. This role combines deep product creation knowledge, disciplined project leadership, and creative problem solving to deliver performance, design intent, consumer value, sustainability, cost, quality, and manufacturability.
The ideal candidate understands the full footwear product lifecycle, anticipates development risk, and confidently connects aesthetic vision with manufacturing reality. This person leads with clarity, collaborates across cultures and geographies, contributes to innovation, and helps strengthen the capability of less experienced developers and factory partners.
WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON
As a Senior Product Developer, you will independently lead assigned footwear products and complex development programs from initial concept through commercialization and production. Based in the China Guangzhou PMO, you will partner with global product creation teams and China-based engineering, materials, costing, testing, PCC, and factory teams to deliver crafted, proven, sustainable, cost-effective, and production-ready product.
Key responsibilities include:
- Independently lead end-to-end development and commercialization for assigned products, seasons, and project portfolios, including innovative and technically complex models.
- Translate product briefs and design concepts into executable development plans that balance performance, fit, craft, quality, sustainability, cost, manufacturability, and delivery.
- Establish project timelines, clarify responsibilities, lead development meetings, and drive timely cross-functional decisions from concept through production readiness.
- Lead sampling, prototyping, fitting, wear testing, lab validation, trial readiness, and product reviews across development locations and manufacturing partners.
- Apply advanced footwear technical knowledge to recommend construction, material, component, color, process, and manufacturing solutions that achieve product goals.
- Evaluate product, technical, operational, and timeline risks early; lead root-cause analysis and resolve complex issues with Product Management, Design, Engineering, Materials, Testing, Costing, PCC, and factory teams.
- Own product readiness, Bill of Materials accuracy, project files, system data, specifications, sample status, and decision records throughout the development process.
- Actively partner with Design and Product Management to deliver products to target cost, including model budget management, costing analysis, value engineering, and informed trade-off recommendations.
- Lead communication across the Nike matrix and extended partner network, providing clear project status, risk visibility, recommendations, and escalation when required.
- Contribute to footwear innovation by exploring new materials, constructions, technologies, digital tools, and methods of making, and by translating learning into practical product solutions.
- Drive continuous improvement in development discipline, product quality, process efficiency, sustainability, data integrity, and ways of working across the Guangzhou PMO and partner teams.
- Informally mentor less experienced developers and development coordinators, sharing product creation knowledge, systems, processes, and effective problem-solving practices.
- Build trusted relationships and lead effectively across multiple cultures, geographies, Product Creation Centers, liaison offices, and factory organizations.
- Support business priorities across Running, Basketball, Core, Kids, NSW, Brand Impact, and other portfolios as organizational needs evolve.
WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH
You will partner closely with PHK Product Development, Product Management, Design, China PMO Product Engineering, Materials Development, Testing, Costing, Sustainability, Product Creation Centers, Manufacturing Partners, and Global Product Creation teams. You will serve as a key connector between global product teams and China-based development and factory organizations throughout the product creation process.
WHAT YOU BRING
Experience
- Bachelor's degree in product development, engineering, manufacturing, design, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Typically 4–6 years of directly relevant footwear product creation experience, or comparable applied experience leading product-related projects.
- Demonstrated success independently leading footwear development from brief through commercialization and production.
- Experience managing innovative, complex, or performance-focused products and collaborating across functions, cultures, geographies, and manufacturing partners.
- Experience informally mentoring or supporting the development of less experienced teammates is preferred.
Functional Competencies
- Advanced understanding of the footwear product lifecycle, including development, engineering, materials, tooling, testing, commercialization, manufacturing, and production readiness.
- Ability to independently lead to complex sampling and prototyping across geographies while maintaining accountability for milestones and outcomes.
- Strong technical judgment in footwear construction, materials, fit, performance, quality, sustainability, costing, and manufacturability.
- Skilled in identifying and resolving complex technical, operational, and organizational problems using critical thinking, data, and sound risk assessment.
- Strong project management capability, including planning, meeting leadership, decision management, Bill of Materials management, data integrity, and cross-functional coordination.
- Ability to interpret lab and consumer testing results and translate findings into clear product actions.
- Working knowledge of footwear product creation systems, digital development tools, communication platforms, and project documentation.
Core Competencies
- Ownership and accountability: drives work independently, follows through on commitments, and escalates with clear options when needed.
- Collaboration and influence builds alignment across functions and partner organizations without relying on formal authority.
- Clear communication: articulates goals, decisions, trade-offs, risks, and product status effectively in writing, presentations, and discussions.
- Learning agility and innovation: questions established approaches, apply learning quickly, and contributes new ideas that improve product or process outcomes.
- Consumer and athlete focus keeps performance needs, comfort, value, and marketplace relevance at the center of product decisions.
- Team contribution: shares knowledge, supports less experienced teammates, and helps create an inclusive, high-performing product development community.
Preferred
- Experience developing performance footwear or other technically advanced footwear products.
- Experience working with Asia-based Product Creation Centers, factory partners, suppliers, liaison offices, and global headquarters teams.
- Experience with product costing, value engineering, sustainable product creation, testing, digital product creation, or new methods of making.
- Ability to travel up to 25% within Asia to Product Creation Centers, manufacturing locations, marketplace visits, and athlete or consumer engagements.
