The North Face: Director, Product Development Footwear (Global)

Position: Director, Product Development Footwear (Global TNF)

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

At The North Face we dare to lead the world forward through Exploration. We were born to Explore, Disrupt and to Lead. We were born to Love Wild Places and to Spark Curiosity. We believe that exploration is a mindset - both on the mountain and off the mountain - and it infuses everything we do. As a community of explorers, we stay curious about new ideas, places, and people.

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 adventure-loving people, The North Face just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit The North Face Careers or www.thenorthface.com.

What you will do:

A day in the life of a Product Development Director, Footwear at The North Face looks a little like this.

You will lead a team of developers, product engineers, and costing engineers to achieve footwear product excellence. The Director will focus on the craft, fit, comfort, performance, and quality of The North Face footwear. Collaboration with cross-functional teams and driving product excellence to deliver premium consumer experiences on and off mountain are imperative. You will lead with transparency and adaptability, ensuring open dialogue that empowers the team and aligns with business objectives.

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 the footwear industry focused on project management, footwear engineering and the ability to create technical solutions that solve the needs of our athletes and consumers.

The foundational skills you will need in this position are:

• Footwear Development Acumen: Mastery of biomechanics, ergonomics, and foot anatomy to ensure optimal fit and performance, along with material and extensive manufacturing knowledge.
• Insights: Capture insights and identify unmet needs that TNF footwear needs to solve for.
• Project Management: Oversee the development lifecycle, including ideation, prototyping, and testing, while managing timelines and resources.
• Market Analysis: Partner with merchandising and design to assess industry trends, consumer insights, and competitor activities to identify opportunities for distinction and differentiation.
• Strategic Planning: Develop and implement strategic development roadmaps that drive long-term product development and market leadership.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with design, innovation, merchandising, supply chain, operations, and planning to bring best in class footwear solutions to market efficiently and effectively.
• Team Leadership:  Ensure team members understand not just what needs to be done, but why—connecting daily work to broader business goals and strategy.  Encourage ownership by setting clear expectations, providing constructive feedback, and recognizing achievements.
• Ability to engage in enterprise-level discussions to optimize processes, break down silos, and drive cross-functional alignment throughout all levels of the organization.
• Experience in footwear, product testing, development, materials, and engineering.
• Proven experience creating and activating long-term strategies by collaborating and working with others to achieve business results.
• Results-orientation, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Passion for outdoor exploration and a desire to deliver a premium consumer experience through products.

What do we offer you?

At The North Face, 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, dental, vision, and 401(k).

Our commitment extends beyond this and into your daily work life. We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive culture based on respect, connection, and authenticity. Our focus on DEI is at the foundation of who we are and what we do.

To learn more about The North Face’