I'm looking for Footwear Design Manager roles in Bozeman, MT, preferably in outdoor apparel, with a focus on product innovation, requiring 7+ years of experience, and offering full-time positions.

Okay, I've searched for Footwear Design Manager roles in Bozeman, MT, specifically in outdoor apparel, focusing on product innovation, requiring 7+ years of experience, and offering full-time positions. I have found 12 positions for you.

Footwear Design Manager

Bozeman, MT

Outdoor Apparel

7 years + Experience

Full Time

Can you help me to analyze the job description and company culture?

Sure. Here's the analysis:

Job Analysis:

The role of Footwear Design Manager at Obōz is fundamentally focused on marrying creativity with practicality to create innovative outdoor footwear that aligns with the brand's philosophy of performance and sustainable design. This manager is tasked with guiding the product vision alongside leadership and product management, spanning multiple categories and seasons. The core responsibilities include leading seasonal design initiatives, crafting technical deliverables like tech packs, and ensuring the feasibility of designs by collaborating with development teams. This requires not only advanced design skills but also a strong organizational capability to manage timelines and project deliverables effectively. Success in this role hinges on the ability to balance innovative design with market needs while fostering collaborations across different teams. Candidates can expect challenges such as navigating fast-paced project cycles and addressing emergent trends in the outdoor apparel market, necessitating both a deep understanding of materials and a keen sense of market dynamics.

Company Analysis:

Obōz stands as a unique player in the outdoor footwear market, deeply rooted in the ethos of exploration and sustainability, characteristic of the landscape surrounding Bozeman, Montana. The company thrives in a blend of innovation and tradition—capitalizing on its heritage while pushing boundaries in design. This is likely reflected in the collaborative and adventurous company culture, where shared passion for the outdoors is a cornerstone of employee engagement. The organizational structure appears to support collaboration across functions, suggesting that the Footwear Design Manager will not only lead a team but will also interface extensively with other departments to influence product strategy and execution. In terms of strategic alignment, this role is pivotal as it supports Obōz’s aspirations to innovate within the outdoor industry while remaining true to its roots, making it crucial for driving growth and enhancing brand visibility. The culture and vision imply that candidates must resonate with the company’s values of community and environmental stewardship to truly thrive in this role.

Mock up some interview questions based on the job description.

Absolutely. Here are some mock interview questions that could come up:

Tell me about a time when you had to lead a design project under tight deadlines. What was the outcome?
Can you share an example of a footwear design challenge you've faced and how you resolved it?
Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with a cross-functional team to achieve a design goal. What was your approach?
How do you keep up with trends in the outdoor footwear market, and how have you applied this knowledge to your designs?
How would you approach creating a technical package for a new category of footwear at Obōz?
What design software are you most proficient in, and how do you typically use it in your design process?
Describe your experience with material selection for outdoor footwear. How do you assess their performance and manufacturability?
Imagine you are asked to design a new outdoor shoe for a niche market. What initial steps would you take to gather insights for your design?
How would you manage conflicts within your design team to ensure a smooth project flow?
What attracted you to Obōz as a company, and how do you see your values aligning with our mission?
In what ways do you prioritize sustainability in your design process?
Tell me how you would assess the success of a newly launched footwear line after its release.
What questions do you have about the design process and team dynamics at Obōz?
How do you envision the role of outdoor experiences influencing future footwear designs at Obōz?
Could you describe a time you had to navigate ambiguity in a design project? How did you approach it?

Job Details

Overview Company

Footwear Design Manager

Oboz Footwear

20 days ago

Highlight

OnsiteFull-time7+ yearsSenior

Summary

Oboz Footwear is seeking a Footwear Design Manager to join their team in Bozeman, MT. The role involves driving the product vision and facilitating the design process for multiple footwear projects across various categories.

About the Role

As a Footwear Design Manager, you will report directly to the Director of M&D and be responsible for driving the product vision in partnership with product management and leadership. You will facilitate multiple aspects of the design process, including seasonal design and development support, and push the limits within multiple categories while balancing managerial responsibilities. Your role includes ideating multiple footwear styles, creating technical deliverables, specifying materials, and collaborating with development and design engineering teams. You will also execute and support color design deliverables and lead the 3D process for digital model creation.

About You

Required:

7+ years of professional footwear, industrial design, or equipment experience.
Strong drafting skills, digital or traditional, with the ability to convey multiple concepts efficiently.
Expert knowledge of design-related software in a Mac environment: Illustrator & Photoshop, Procreate, Sketchbook Pro, etc.
Strong knowledge of materials, fabrications, and production techniques pertaining to outdoor footwear.
Experience in taking product from a sketch to reality and the drive to cost engineer such products.
Strong experience balancing the needs of designing products and project management.

Preferred:

Any 3D experience is a plus.

Oboz Footwear

Outside + Bozeman = Oboz 🥾 Right outside our front door, the mountains just outside Bozeman beckon us. It's this 18-million-acre laboratory where we test our designs and inspire ideas, and where we just soak it all in. It even inspired the name “Oboz”.

Each day we come to work, we simply do our best to live up to this gift. Here at Oboz, we are hikers, we are walkers, we are runners, we are bikers, we are anglers…we are many things, and yet we’re all connected on the trail. It's this lifelong love of the trail that enables our designers to create footwear that's remarkably durable, comfortable, and always worthy of the task at hand. Our philosophy is simple. Design the kind of footwear that we'd want to wear.

Bozeman, MT