Vans: Manager, Design Operations

Now that you’ve found the job description, what’s next?

Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire and empower everyone to live “Off The Wall” – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. Yesterday’s “Off The Wall” moment is today’s new normal, and at Vans, we believe in constantly outdoing ourselves. Together with our communities across the globe, our vision is to push culture forward because we believe that the pursuit of progression never ends. We are constantly inspired by the future generation of positive catalysts within our community.  

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “Off the Wall,” Vans just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Vans Careers or www.vans.com.

What will you do?

A day in the life of a Manager, Design Operations at Vans looks a little like this.

Reporting directly to the Chief Design & Creative Direction Officer, this leader drives the overall footwear design strategy in partnership with the Creative Direction leader to deliver products that define each style’s aesthetic and attitude. This role is critical in creative milestore & event planning, space ideation & execution, calendar optimization, budget maximization, resource allocation, and overall taste and professionalism elevation. This role is pivotal in bridging the gap between creative vision and operational excellence, ensuring our design processes are efficient, collaborative, aligned with our strategic goals, and come to life beautifully.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• Milestone & Event planning: Visualizing, planning and executing best in class creative milestones, within the Design & Innovation team and cross-functionally, in order to drive enterprise level excitement, inspiration and clarity of the VANS creative vision.

• Operational Leadership: Manage day-to-day studio operations, optimizing workflows to enhance productivity. Think of this role as the conductor of an orchestra, ensuring each section harmonizes to create a seamless performance.

• Process Improvement: Identify and implement best practices for design processes, fostering an environment where creativity thrives alongside efficiency. Manage the Seasonal Design Review Processes. Create calendar timelines, agendas, invites, meeting logistics and communicate clear expectations for Design team and business partners.

• Resource Management: Allocate resources effectively, ensuring designers have the tools and support they need to succeed. This includes managing budgets, timelines and leadership reviews to keep projects on track.

• Cross-functional Coordination: Act as a liaison between design teams, marketing, and product merchandising, ensuring that communication flows freely and feedback is integrated into the design process. Like a skilled translator, you’ll help different departments understand each other's needs and perspectives.

• Project Oversight: Monitor the progress of key design project initiatives, providing support and guidance as necessary. You’ll ensure that deadlines are met and that the final outputs align with our brand standards and vision.

• Monitor key metrics: Track development ratios, late add ratios, change rates, etc.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 5+ years of experience and professional achievements. 

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Process Optimization: Skilled in streamlining design workflows

• Project Management: Manages resources and timelines effectively.

• Quality Assurance: Ensures high standards across design outputs

What do we offer you?

At Vans, we know you expect as much from us as we do from you. That is why we make a commitment to support and grow our people. We offer extensive development and growth opportunities for your current and future positions, a competitive compensation package, and a strong benefits package that includes medical, den