Materials Specialist

Materials Specialist / Materials Developer – Footwear

Overview

We are seeking experienced Materials Specialists / Materials Developers with a strong footwear background to support materials strategy, governance, and library optimization. This role is ideal for someone who deeply understands footwear materials development lifecycles and attributes, but does not need to be hands-on in material creation or lab development.

The focus is on materials knowledge, evaluation, and systems thinking—helping assess current materials, identify gaps or outdated attributes, and guide what needs to evolve within the materials library to support future product needs.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and maintain a footwear-focused materials library, ensuring materials data, attributes, and classifications are accurate, relevant, and up to date
• Assess existing materials to determine what should be updated, deprecated, or enhanced based on performance, innovation, and product needs
• Define and validate materials attributes (performance, durability, sustainability indicators, construction compatibility, etc.)
• Provide subject-matter expertise on what goes into developing footwear materials, including timelines, dependencies, testing considerations, and constraints
• Partner with design, product development, and engineering teams to ensure materials information supports downstream workflows
• Act as a materials advisor, helping teams make informed decisions using standardized materials data
• Support materials governance, documentation, and best practices across footwear (apparel experience is a plus but secondary)
• Contribute to process improvements related to materials intake, evaluation, and lifecycle management

Top Skills

• 5–7+ years of experience in materials development or materials specialization, with a strong focus on footwear
• Deep understanding of footwear materials, constructions, and performance requirements
• Experience working with or managing materials libraries, databases, or PLM-related materials data
• Strong knowledge of the end-to-end materials development process, even if not actively developing materials
• Ability to evaluate materials strategically and make recommendations based on attributes and product needs