Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design

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 the Director, Color & Trend Footwear Design, you will own the aesthetic direction for Brooks Running footwear across color, graphics, materials, finishes, and trend. You will shape the emotional experience of our products, connecting performance function with a clear aesthetic vision that helps Brooks create product runners love.

You will create and manage the long-term direction for seasonal palettes and the CRAFTED BEAUTY design language, using trend insight, design research, runner data, and digital creation tools to guide fresh, market-relevant color and material applications across the footwear line.

You will lead Color & Trend Design across inline, innovation, and lifestyle footwear, while also influencing head-to-toe initiatives and Product Virtualization. You will inspire, coach, and guide design leaders, build critical thinking and problem-solving skills across the team, and help the group navigate ambiguity, risk, and change with clarity.

As a member of the extended Seasonal Creation Leader group, you will bring the aesthetic vision to life throughout product creation. You will partner across Design, Merchandising, Development, Product Marketing, and external teams to establish and communicate the CRAFTED BEAUTY seasonal design language and support Brooks’ goal of being the most loved brand for runners worldwide.

Your Responsibilities:

LEADERSHIP

DESIGN

CROSS TEAM COLLABORATION

Qualifications:

Compensation: The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $186,192 - $297,928 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.  
 
Other: Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!  
Benefits - including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance. 
Paid Time Off - Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
Bonus - In addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.   
Perks - including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits. 
 
Location: You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.

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.

4-year college or university degree in product, graphics, apparel or footwear design, equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be substituted for degree. International education is a plus - plus.
14+ years of experience creating color/material/textile programs and future vision of consumer goods – ideally sports industry.
Extensive experience creating aesthetics and stories for international markets of consumer goods.
Ability to scale and balance aesthetics to include all three major markets NA/EMEA/APLA.
7+ year’s managerial experience, managing direct reports and developing talent.
Thorough knowledge of art and design with clear understanding of visual design or any design related environment.
Proven experience creating and leading the execution of vision and strategy.
Experience managing external resources.
Ability to understand design conceptually across product categories.
Ability to understand design concepts and think conceptually.
Ability to create designs that meet category needs and commercial opportunities.
Ability to operate in a fast pace, ever changing work environment.
Ability to manage a team of professionals to inspire and motivate them to produce their best work.
Ability to build and foster relationships in a team environment. This position requires employee to engage with many stakeholders, as well as manage various information and relationships.
Ability and desire to push themselves, others, and the brand forward.
Ability to influence and collaborate with key business partners.
Keen attention to detail in planning, organization, and execution of tasks (self and through others), while still seeing the big picture and understanding how all the pieces fit together and affect one another.
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 to develop loyal, engaging relationships with our customers and the Brooks community.
Mastery with Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop
Competent using Apple Mac Operating system
Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint etc.)
3D not required, but a plus
Embraces and lives the Brooks values!
Travel 10% (Domestically/Internationally)
Compensation: The pay range for this position, based out of the Brooks Seattle HQ, is $186,192 - $297,928 per year. Base pay offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.  
 
Other: Brooks is proud to offer a robust benefits package to our employees and their families!  
Benefits - including medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance, HSA and employer contribution, FSA, family & fertility assistance, 401K Savings Plan and match, employee assistance program, and transportation assistance. 
Paid Time Off - Brooks offers generous time off including five weeks of paid time off, eleven paid holidays, paid sick and parental leave.
Bonus - In addition to base pay, Brooks employees may also be offered an annual bonus based on company performance.   
Perks - including product discounts, employee recognition, fitness discounts, volunteer and donation benefits. 
 
Location: You will spend 4 days per week in our Seattle offices, as we believe our organization flourishes when connections, collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, and celebrations happen in person.
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.