Senior Footwear Designer - Genesco Brands Group

The Ideal Candidate

The Senior Footwear Designer for Genesco Brands Group will join a team of designers and report to the Director of Development and Design. The primary role will be to create and develop commercial and brand-relevant products informed by each business unit's lifestyle and market position, collaborating in a team environment to achieve division objectives.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Under the direction of the Director of Development and Design, the Senior Footwear Designer will design and develop products that are industry-leading, brand-relevant, and commercial.
• Partner with Product Development and Sourcing to create market-relevant products across multiple categories, ensuring integrity with respect to last, upper, and model development.
• Collaborate with Product Merchandising in the creation of line plans, briefs, and final product solutions aligned with business goals and consumer needs.
• Execute the complete vision including Color/Cads and Materials along with fully completed tech packs.
• Deliver on-time product solutions in conjunction with the Product Development calendar and varying business needs ensuring that all deadlines, line plans, and deliverables are met.
• Provide and present timely and relevant business, design, consumer, and cultural storytelling in conjunction with specific projects and briefs.
• Lead in the development of appropriate sell-in tools to effectively communicate concepts and strategies.
• Study and research current and future trends; maintain expert knowledge in design trends, production techniques, and new technologies.
• Conduct research onsite and off to bring new ideas to the category and brands.
• Special projects as assigned.

Experience and Skills You'll Need to Have

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial design or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in footwear design.
• Must have an exceptional knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite – Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign.
• Fluid in creating mechanical drawings and reading blueprints
• Must have working knowledge of duty rates of footwear aiding in material selections in hitting pricing objectives.
• Must be proficient in creating line art and color cads in Illustrator.
• Working knowledge of Macintosh systems, Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint), Outlook, and PLM.
• Must have traditional hands-on footwear development skills – Proto corrections, materials, tech packs, specs.
• Strong knowledge of fashion and market trends with an understanding of each brands market position and the drive to evolve it.
• Must be able to travel both domestically and internationally. 

How Success Shows Up in the Role

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Energetic, inspiring, creative, forward-thinking, and enthusiastic about design.
• Self-motivated and equally comfortable working within a team – must be a team player.
• Highly organized and structured; asks questions and seeks understanding first.
• Pushes oneself to exceed expectations.
• Excels at being adaptable, versatile, and able to work under pressure.
• Ability to work under deadlines, manage multiple priorities, work independently, take initiative, and pay close attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt to quickly changing priorities and fast-track projects as needed.

#LI-JS2