Design Manager, Footwear Sportstyle - W/M at Salomon

Job Description

Beyond your footwear design expertise, do you have significant experience leading and managing creative teams?
Do you naturally navigate between fashion, sport, and outdoor cultures?
Do you have a sharp eye for urban aesthetics, sport-lifestyle, and sneaker culture, while also understanding the technical codes of performance footwear?

👉 Join our Softgoods team in our new Paris offices and help shape the future of our Footwear collections.

Your role : 

As Footwear Design Manager, you define, embody, and lead the Design strategy for the Sportstyle perimeter.
You are the guardian of the creative vision, the artistic direction, and the overall consistency of our Footwear collections.
You manage and develop a design team split between Annecy and Paris, within a highly international and fast-evolving creative environment.

Your Responsibilities

• Define & Lead the Design Strategy
  • Build and drive a clear, inspiring, and differentiating Design vision.
  • Ensure creative coherence and brand expression across all Footwear projects.
  • Translate business needs and market insights into structured design directions

• Drive the Creative Process

  • In close collaboration with the Offer Manager:

  • Contribute to the creation of briefs (concepts, innovations, products).

  • Define required resources: planning, budget, and designer allocation.
  • Organize and lead Design validation sessions.
  • Guide and challenge teams on 2D/3D concepts and color proposals.

• Define & Embody the Artistic Direction

  • Translate brand vision into creative guidelines: shapes, colors, materials, graphics, branding.
  • Inspire teams through trends, cultural insights, and usage-driven influences.
  • Ensure both short-term and long-term artistic vision.

• Deploy & Evolve the Design Strategy

  • Oversee the evolution of Footwear lines and ensure stylistic consistency.
  • Collaborate with 3D and CMF teams.
  • Promote the adoption of modern tools: AI, digital design, innovative workflows.

• Lead & Develop the Design Team

  • Set direction, define priorities, and support individual objectives.
  • Create the conditions for success, encourage initiative and experimentation.
  • Provide regular feedback, develop skills, and elevate talent within the team.
  • Work in synergy with all Softgoods teams to ensure alignment and collaboration.

Qualifications

• Education : Master’s degree in Design (Bac +5) preferred.
• Professional Experience
  • 10 years of professional experience in footwear product design and development.
  • Strong understanding of contemporary design, market dynamics, consumer needs, attitudes, and behaviors.
• Core Competencies
  • Managerial Skills
    • Proven experience in direct management of creative teams.
    • Ability to support and mentor designers with diverse levels of seniority.
    • Comfortable managing teams across multiple sites (Paris/Annecy).
• Sportstyle Knowledge
  • Sharp sense of urban aesthetics, sport-lifestyle, and sneaker culture.
  • Ability to navigate effortlessly between fashion, sport, collaborations, and street trends.
• Digital Transformation & Innovative Mindset
  • Strong appetite for modern design tools, digital workflows, and innovative design methodologies.
• Languages : Fluent English is mandatory.
• Tools
  • Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Strong command of Design software (2D/3D).

Additional Information

• Contract: Permanent position (Full-time)

• Location: Role based in Paris, within our new Creative Hub

• Travel Requirements: Ability to travel to our manufacturing sites in Asia, to key markets (Asia, US, Europe), and to attend Fashion Weeks.