Footwear Materials Manager

@ ARC'TERYX
ARC'TERYXarc'teryx.com

Footwear Materials Manager

Posted today

About the job

Arc’teryx creates innovative outdoor gear for mountain athletes. As Footwear Materials Manager, you lead the development team, manage key partnerships, and influence strategies around upper materials, foams, and rubbers.

Requirements

  • 15+ years footwear materials experience
  • Proven experience with upper materials
  • Familiar with rubbers and foams
  • Management experience in footwear
  • Strong communication skills

Qualifications

  • Experience with waterproof membranes
  • Knowledge of footwear systems like PCX
  • Team leadership skills
  • High adaptability and flexibility
  • Collaborative mindset

Full job description

Department: Footwear Supply Chain


Reports to: Vice President, Product Development & Engineering, Footwear


Location: Portland, Oregon


Your Opportunity at ARC’TERYX:

As our Footwear Materials Manager you will lead our Materials Development team and manage our relationships with our most important Tier 2 partners.  You will work most closely with our Materials Designers, Footwear Developers and Engineers, and our teams in Asia as we create the most innovative products for the mountain athlete.  You will directly manage our footwear product developers,and have dotted line responsibility for our materials analysts in Asia. You will be a member of the Footwear Product Creation leadership team, and will work with your fellow leaders as we execute our seasonal product creation process and create and deliver on our innovation agenda.  Your responsibilities will focus on upper materials, but you will also heavily influence our strategy related to foams and rubbers.


This role is based out of our Portland office and is expected to be performed on-location. 


Meet Your Future Team:


Our Product Creation team is a dynamic group spread across the globe.  It sits within our Supply Chain organization and is a center of excellencepartner with our Footwear Business Unit.The Arc’teryx Footwear team creates innovative, aesthetically striking product that exceeds the coremountain athlete’s outdoors needs across climbing, hiking, and trail running categories. Weare builders, problem solvers and passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Fueled by curiosity, wetake animmersive approach to identifying our athlete’s future needs – then, build, test, andvalidate products that solve for real functional challenges. We are a passionate collectivewith a focus on collaborative teamwork, and our vision is to redefine the industry.



If you were in the Footwear Materials Manager role now, here are some of the core activities you would be doing:

  • Leading our Footwear Materials Development Team in Portland and Asia

    • Owning our relationships with our most strategic Tier 2 partners (Gore, Chamatex, TLC, etc.),and collaborating with our Tier 1s.


    • Representing the function in cross-functional leadership meetings and ensuring decisions around materials developments are aligned with our long-term product and business priorities


    • Partnering with our cost engineering team to ensure we hit financial targets.


    • Closely collaborating with our Footwear Engineering team on creating and executing strategies related to foams, rubbers, sock liners, etc.


    • Providing training, guidance and mentoring to the cross-functional footwear team, ensuring foundational understanding of materials topics.


    • Proactively identifying and addressing potential issues with vendors or specific materials


    • Calculating and sharing material forecasts with vendors


    • Resolving issues associated with lead times, timelines, colors and costs



    • Collaborating with raw materials teams in Vancouver when onboarding new vendors, addressing quality challenges, etc.




    Are you our next Footwear Materials Manager?

    • You have 15+ years of experience in footwear materials, either with a brand or a vendor.


    • You have proven experience with upper materials, waterproof membranes, foams, rubber, and other footwear materials


    • You are familiar with rubbers, foams, plates and other materials used in footwear bottom units


    • You have experience with managing people.


    • You are extremely collaborative, and value in-person work with cross-functional teams.


    • You have excellent communication skills, ability to relate to all levels of stakeholders. 


    • You have strong leadership, interpersonal, facilitation, and project management experience.


    • You can think both strategically and tactically.


    • You remain highly flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity.


    • You are familiar with Centric, Plasma, PCX or other footwear materials systems


    • You remain highly flexible and adaptable when faced with ambiguity


    • You inspire breakthrough thinking and continuous improvement


    • You seek the best (sometimes not the easiest) solutions, with an unwavering commitment to do what is right




    Total Rewards

    Most new team members join between the start and midpoint of the range, where you can contribute right away while continuing to grow your craft, your collaborations, and your impact at Arc’teryx. This range reflects market alignment and the scope of the role. Individual pay is determined by your skills, experience, and level of responsibility.


    We’re committed to fair, equitable, and competitive pay, reviewed regularly to ensure internal alignment and market relevance. Transparency is part of how we follow through on our commitments and how we honour the value you bring to our team.


    In addition to base pay, Arc’teryx supports people through benefits designed to sustain both work and life:


    • Health & wellbeing - Extended health, dental, and vision coverage, including mental health support, fertility benefits, and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
    • Financial wellbeing - Immediately vested 401(k) retirement savings plan matching, eligibility for Arc'teryx Annual Incentive Plan and access to Employee Stock Purchase program (ESPP) where applicable.
    • Time & Flexibility - Paid time off and No Wasted Day program (dedicated paid days to get outside & explore).
    • Family support - Parental leave for birthing and on-birthing parents, including an option to ease the transition back to work.
    • Growth, community & gear- Professional development opportunities, Arc'teryx Academies (outdoor skill-building events), Employee Belonging Councils, and access to employee discounts and Pro Deals (exclusive discounted pricing on gear).

    *Eligibility for certain programs may vary by role.




    Equal Opportunity

    Arc’teryx is committed to actively creating and fostering a culture of inclusivity where voices are heard, people are seen, and values are respected. We care about the uniqueness of our applicants, employees, and guests, and we do so in a safe space fueled by curiosity and acceptance. 

    Creating an inclusive workplace is connected to our core value Do Right while also having the added benefit of helping make our business better. We believe inclusion helps us to create a healthier, happier workplace, drive creativity and innovation, and reflect the communities where we operate.  

    All applicants, employees, and guests can expect equality of opportunity and fair treatment in alignment with our values.

    Leave it Better

    We believe that the mountains transform us, that how we adventure matters, and that there’s always a better way. 

    Join us in creating positive change in ourselves, our communities, and the world. 

    Live it. Get out there - the mountains make us better 

    Disruptive evolution. In pursuit of better. Always. 

    Commit. We set bold objectives and see them through. 


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