Raw Materials Developer, Footwear

Raw Materials Developer, Footwear

Commerce, California, United States

Mindful movement. It's at the core of why we do what we do at ALO—it's our calling. Because mindful movement in the studio leads to better living. It changes who yogis are off the mat, making their lives and their communities better. That's the real meaning of studio-to-street: taking the consciousness from practice on the mat and putting it into practice in life.

Overview

The Raw Material Developer – Footwear is responsible for developing, engineering, and commercializing footwear materials that meet brand design intent, performance, sustainability, cost, and manufacturability requirements. This role partners cross-functionally to deliver materials that are scalable, compliant, and on-time for seasonal launches and core carryovers.

Responsibilities

Material Development

• Lead material development from concept through commercialization for footwear categories.
• Source and evaluate new materials and technologies.
• Translate design intent into technical material requirements.

Material Engineering & Testing

• Define material specifications and test plans to validate performance, safety, and durability.
• Partner with Product Integrity/Quality to ensure materials meet applicable standards and regulations.
• Troubleshoot material and construction issues and drive corrective actions with suppliers.
• Ensure color and shade consistency across materials and factories.

Costing

• Own material cost targets and negotiate with suppliers.
• Maintain on-time material readiness aligned to development calendars and critical milestones.

Supplier & Stakeholder Management

• Develop strategic supplier relationships and maintain a qualified vendor matrix.
• Lead supplier onboarding and capability assessments.
• Communicate clearly with internal partners.
• Document decisions and maintain development trackers, sample logs, and issue resolution records.

Data, Documentation & Systems

• Create and maintain complete material documentation.
• Ensure PLM accuracy for material codes, attributes, supplier mapping, pricing, lead times, and approval status.
• Build standardized material playbooks for core constructions and seasonal updates.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Footwear Engineering, Industrial Design, or related field preferred (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years of raw material development experience in footwear (preferred) or adjacent categories with strong footwear material exposure.
• Proven experience developing materials for uppers and/or bottoms and understanding of bonding and lamination systems.
• Working knowledge of footwear testing and common failure modes.
• Experience with global supplier management and commercialization in a multi-factory environment.
• Proficiency in PLM and Excel; able to build trackers, dashboards, and clear development summaries.
• Strong technical judgment with the ability to diagnose issues quickly and propose practical solutions.
• Clear communication: able to translate technical details into decision-ready trade-offs and recommendations.
• Program management: organized, deadline-driven, comfortable with ambiguity and fast iteration.
• Collaboration: effective partner to Design/PD, Sourcing, Quality, and external suppliers.
• Experience with sustainable material programs.
• Familiarity with chemical compliance frameworks.
• Experience with digital color tools and color standard management.
• Experience managing component/tooling development and supplier trials.

The base salary range for this position is $90,000-$110,000 per year which represents the current range for the base salary for this exempt position. Please note that actual salaries will vary based on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. As such, on occasion and when applicable, there is the possibility that the final, agreed-upon base salary may be outside of the upper end of the range. Please also note the range listed is just one component of the company's total rewards package for exempt employees. Other rewards may include performance bonuses, long term incentives, a PTO policy, and many other progressive benefits.