Altra: Innovation Director

At Altra, we are on a never-ending journey to seek out opportunities to unlock potential in ourselves and others and to create a more diverse and inclusive running community. When we’re all working together as the best versions of ourselves, we can feel empowered both individually and as a 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 driven to discover more about ourselves and the world around us, Altra just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Altra Careers or www.altrarunning.com.

Position: Innovation Director

What you will do

Altra is looking for someone to help create the future. Our Innovation director will help us push boundaries and explore uncharted territory as we reimagine what performance could look like for our runners on the road and on the trail. This leader will drive the team to new product concepts and unleash human potential.

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

• Lead the creation of white space for the brand through partnership with athletes and consumers.
• Drive strategy to bring balance between consumer needs and athlete insights.
• Maintain lock step alignment with the Development director so we can leverage innovative concepts and look to incorporate those into inline projects in a more digestible way.
• Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team.  Foster a culture of innovation and creativity within the team.
• Guide/lead research initiatives to explore new materials, technologies, and design manufacturing methodologies. Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies and how that influences the product roadmap.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for innovation projects. Evaluate the success of projects and make necessary adjustments to continue to take the team to new heights.
• Lead a 3-5 year Innovation Roadmap that leads to measurable benefits and industry claims aligned with Altra’s goal to disrupt the running industry.
• Create an Innovation toolbox that can be leveraged to tell cohesive stories across both road and trail.
• Quarterly updates to the Head of Product and and Brand President on your team’s progress.
• Lead process with Asia innovation teams to ensure it is streamlined, efficient and helping us meet our goals.
• Be creatively agile and confident in solving problems, thinking innovatively and driving that perspective to your team.
• Think big picture but be able to synthesize and distill complex problems for the team and the cross functional team both in the US and Asia to deliver the work.
• Ensure Advanced Concepts line plans and product briefings are globally relevant.
• Expert at communicating within the team, and throughout the organization on how innovation will propel Altra into the future.

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 10+ years of experience in performance footwear and a deep understanding of footwear manufacturing.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Background in either Innovation, Development or Engineering preferred.

• Leadership Experience – 5+ Years leading a team and successfully navigating cross-functional relationships and building a positive team culture.

• Ability to demonstrate innovation projects that have come to life through your work and leadership.

• Passion for pushing product in ways that aren’t known today.

• Proven ability to gather consumer insights and translate those to captivating concepts for athletes.

• Superior project planning with an ability to develop and manage multiple timelines and deadlines.

• An entrepreneurial and growth mindset and one who will question the way things have been done to imagine how they could be. Bri