Footwear Materials Developer

Who We Are:

At Brooks, we believe movement is the key to feeling more alive. That’s why we’re driven to create gear and experiences that take people to the place that makes them feel more alive — whether it’s a headspace, a feeling, or a finish line. 

Everyone who works at Brooks is propelled by a company culture that sparks excitement, fuels collaboration, inspires creativity, and ignites innovation.

Our brand values help bond us together and drive our success:  

• Runner First 
  • We act in the best interest of the runner
• Word is Bond 
  • We do what we say we’ll do 
• Champion Heart  
  • We give our all in everything we do  
• There is no “I” in Run 
  • We stay generous with our humanity 
• Keep Moving 
  • We find ways to move every day, because joy is kinetic!

We welcome everyone from every walk of life looking to inspire others through the power of movement - because we’re all moving towards something. Let’s run there.   

Your Job**:**

As our Senior Footwear Materials Developer, Asia, you will play a key role in our material process from concept to commercialization. You will work cross-functionally with the global product creation team, suppliers, and Asia factories to drive our material development process, timelines, and standards. You will partner on projects from concept to production with your corresponding US Material Developer to bring advanced materials with high performance to our products. You will carry out the research and development in materials which fuel and support the overall development and design efforts for the footwear team. Utilizing your strong technical skills, in-depth knowledge of footwear material properties and knowledge of sustainable materials trends, you’ll bring new materials and capabilities to the team and work closely with vendors to ensure that Brooks’ footwear product goals are achieved. As a key member of the materials team, you’ll explore, research, and develop various materials including knits, woven, non-woven, synthetics and all other materials used in footwear.

Your Responsibilities:

MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

• Lead in the development of technical textile designs, material toolbox creation through all physical testing, creation, and commercialization.
• Manage designated projects focused on core product projects across multiple timelines including validating materials both on and off products.
• Work across the supply chain to create materials, validate them, and ensure that products can be made and commercialized with all footwear materials.
• Evaluate the risk factors associated with all material developments and communicate them to the product teams.
• Submit, manage, and provide feedback on color lab dip Identify options to address risks and lead the execution of solutions.
• Evaluate the risk factors associated with all material developments and communicate them to the product teams. Identify options to address risks and lead the execution of solutions.
• Organize processes and measures that result in timely delivery of quality materials while also providing an action plan to incorporate into a seasonal calendar for the assigned projects.
• Contribute to advanced materials R&D projects, as necessary.

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COLLABORATION

• Collaborate with Development, Design, and Product Management to develop materials specifications for product functionality, durability, and aesthetics, including identifying needs and researching solutions with good understanding about the material creation process and a certain level knowledge of the textile/yarn/machinery and knitting methods.
• Partner with Corporate Sustainability to manage the footwear initiatives pertinent to global laws, business requirements, and consumer expectations. Evaluate new product /materials applications to improve cost, reduce environmental impact or improve quality of Brooks’ products.
• Coordinate and review with Asia materials testing team, to ensure that  materials pass Brooks commercialization process by the specified dates on the seasonal calendar.
• Review testing with development team to ensure product quality. Recommend adjustments as needed to hit testing requirements.

MATERIALS DATA & LIBRARY MANAGEMENT

• Ensure that Brooks has accurate complete specification sheets on all materials used in the product line.
• Develop and maintain an organized materials library, complete with up-to-date materials, testing history and specifications.

VENDOR MANAGEMENT

• Lead the collaboration with vendors (mills/textiles, synthetics, hardware, and other suppliers) to develop materials that align with Brooks’ quality standards, aesthetics, target prices, and availability needs.
• Attend material shows, meeting regularly with suppliers for line reviews and traveling to vendors to deliver on materials goals & objectives.
• Negotiate with Tier 2 vendors on delivery timelines for materials for the assigned projects, collecting the key take-aways during the whole process implementation of the assigned projects to create the best practices.
• Engage in feedback for yearly supplier audit process owned by the Sourcing Operations team.
• Travel to suppliers two or more times per year and ensure regular ongoing communication with suppliers.

INNOVATION

•  Stay up to date with ongoing research and development to enhance the existing and record  materials database.
• Continuously build advanced materials expertise and make recommendations for our products; create and build a network of contacts within the industry.
• Other responsibilities as required.

Your Qualifications:

• BS in Textile Engineering, Textile Design, Materials Engineering, Textile Chemistry, or related fields; may be substituted with relevant work experience.
• 5+ years of experience leading the material development of high-performance footwear projects.
• Experience with international material vendors
• Solid understanding of footwear construction methods, materials, testing & evaluation techniques. Ability to understand how materials play a part in the fit and feel of performance footwear.
• Ability to analyze test information and provide subjective feedback in a concise and understanding manner.
• Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks, all the while observing the big picture and understanding how everything fits. Willingness to dive into the details.
• Knowledge of textile manufacturing, dying, finishing, and testing.
• Computer proficiency with office software; MS Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint.
• Ability to analyze test information and subjective feedback in a concise and understandable manner.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, demonstrating effective listening through concise, clear verbal and written communication.
• Great interpersonal skills that inspire and build trust resulting in effective working relationships across the company.
• Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks, while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all the pieces fit together and affect one another.
• Ability to anticipate how a decision made can affect our customers, our partners, our products or other departments’ operations and/or morale; “connecting the dots.”
• Demonstration of innovation and initiative – always looking at improving our products and processes while also displaying a willingness to dive into the details and help wherever necessary.
• Passionate participation in Brooks’ sports activities a plus, overridden by the ability to understand and empathize with the runner in order to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
• A good problem solver, able to make many decisions with certain support and able to collaborate and question Factory Developers, Engineering, and Production to get answer to key questions.
• Willingness to travel (Domestic/ International).

At Brooks, we celebrate diversity & equity. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment, and encourage people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and skills to apply. Brooks is proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, two-spirit identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, the presence of a physical, mental, or sensory disability, marital status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), caste, citizenship or immigration status, honorably discharged veteran or military status, actual or perceived victims of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault or stalking, HIV or Hepatitis C infection, political ideology, use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability, or on any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law, or any other non-merit based factors.