Vice President, Global Footwear Design & Innovation

Job Description

Job Description

Your opportunity at Arc’teryx:

As Vice President, Global Footwear Design & Innovation, you are the architect of the creative and technical future of Arc’teryx Footwear. You define and lead an integrated vision that unites design, innovation, performance, and sustainability—shaping footwear that is industry leading from both an aesthetic and technical perspective.

This role sits at the intersection of human-centered design, athlete-led innovation, materials science, and brand storytelling. You set the long-term creative and innovation agenda, translating insight into differentiated footwear platforms that elevate performance, express our design ethos, and scale across seasons and categories.

From early-stage exploration through handoff to partners in Supply Chain, you ensure that innovation moves fast, design is uncompromising, and the story is clear—advancing both the brand and the business. You lead a world-class global team and partner deeply across Design, Product Management, Development, Sourcing, Manufacturing, Merchandising, and Brand to deliver footwear that redefines what’s possible in the outdoors.

 

Meet your future team:

The Arc’teryx Global Footwear team creates innovative, beautiful product that exceeds the core mountain athlete’s needs in the outdoors across climbing, hiking, and trail running categories. We are builders, problem solvers and passionate outdoor enthusiasts. Fueled by curiosity, we take an immersive approach to identifying our athlete’s future needs then build, test, and validate products that solve for real functional challenges. We are a passionate collective with a focus on collaborative teamwork, and our vision is to redefine the industry.

If you were in the Vice President, Global Footwear Design & Innovation role now, here are some of the core activities you would be responsible for:

• Define and own a unified global vision for footwear design and innovation, aligned to Arc’teryx brand strategy and long-term business objectives
• Establish and drive a multi-year creative and innovation roadmap, balancing breakthrough thinking with commercial rigor
• Identify emerging opportunities across performance, biomechanics, materials science, sustainability, and digital product creation
• Create, champion, and evolve the end-to-end design ethos and visual identity of Arc’teryx Footwear across form, materials, colour, and graphics
• Inspire world-class design concepts grounded in athlete insight, consumer relevance, and technical performance
• Ensure a cohesive and elevated design expression that connects footwear across categories and aligns with the broader Arc’teryx creative vision
• Lead the creation of scalable innovation platforms—including cushioning systems, tooling architectures, upper constructions, and material solutions
• Drive early-stage exploration, experimentation, prototyping, and validation while ensuring innovations deliver clear performance and consumer value
• Ensure innovation is scalable, manufacturable, and integrated seamlessly into inline product
• Embed Arc’teryx sustainability objectives into both design and innovation decisions from the outset
• Advance circular design, responsible material choices, and lower-impact construction methods
• Partner closely with Product Management, Development, Sourcing, Manufacturing, and Merchandising to execute seasonal line plans in alignment with long-term vision
• Collaborate with Brand Marketing to shape compelling, authentic innovation and design stories across evergreen and seasonal launches
• Represent Footwear Design & Innovation in executive forums, milestone reviews, and strategic planning discussions
• Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing global team of designers, innovators, and technical creators
• Foster a culture of curiosity, experimentation, inclusivity, disciplined risk-taking, and accountability
• Develop top talent, set clear expectations, and create space for bold thinking, learning, and growth

Here are some of the things you could be working on in the future:

• Leading the build of next-generation footwear platforms that re-define performance categories
• Leading advanced digital product creation, simulation, and rapid prototyping capabilities
• Leading breakthrough sustainability solutions in materials, processes, and circular design
• Forging strategic external partnerships with universities, startups, and industry leaders

Are you our next Vice President, Global Footwear Design & Innovation?

• You have 15+ years of leadership experience in footwear innovation, design, engineering, or advanced product creation
• You have a bachelor’s degree in Industrial or Product Design, or the equivalent industry experience
• You have a proven track record in developing and leading the execution of a multi-year product strategy
• You have a deep understanding of the design, commercialization, and industrialization of high-performance outdoor footwear
• You set a clear vision, align your team around common objectives, and foster commitment to these objectives
• You have strong business acumen with the ability to lead in a complex matrix business environment
• You have proven people leadership skills and the ability to build, coach and guide a diverse and high performing team
• You have strong influential leadership, with the ability to drive alignment across diverse cross-functional stakeholders at all levels of the business
• You believe in continuous self-improvement, and you lead with empathy, compassion and teamwork
• You are a proficient user of design software such as the Adobe Suite (Illustrator/Photoshop) and 3D Software
• You are willing and able to travel globally as required

Compensation:

The salary range for this role is USD$224,000 - USD$336,000

Total Rewards

Most new team members join between the start and midpoint of the range, where you can contribute right away while continuing to grow your craft, your collaborations, and your impact at Arc’teryx. This range reflects market alignment and the scope of the role. Individual pay is determined by your skills, experience, and level of responsibility.

We’re committed to fair, equitable, and competitive pay, reviewed regularly to ensure internal alignment and market relevance. Transparency is part of how we follow through on our commitments and how we honour the value you bring to our team.

In addition to base pay, Arc’teryx supports people through benefits designed to sustain both work and life:

• Health & wellbeing - Extended health, dental, and vision coverage, including mental health support, fertility benefits, and a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program (EAP). 
• Financial wellbeing - Immediately vested 401(k) retirement savings plan matching, eligibility for Arc'teryx Annual Incentive Plan and access to Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), where applicable.
• Time & Flexibility - Paid time off, and No Wasted Day program (dedicated paid days to get outside & explore).  
• Family support - Parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents, including an option to ease the transition back to work. 
• Growth, community & gear - Professional development opportunities, Arc'teryx Academies (outdoor skill-building events) , Employee Belonging Councils, and access to employee discounts and Pro Deals (exclusive discounted pricing on gear) .

*Eligibility for certain programs may vary by role. 

Equal Opportunity

Arc’teryx is committed to actively creating and fostering a culture of inclusivity where voices are heard, people are seen, and values are respected. We care about the uniqueness of our applicants, employees, and guests, and we do so in a safe space fueled by curiosity and acceptance.

Creating an inclusive workplace is connected to our core value Do Right while also having the added benefit of helping make our business better. We believe inclusion helps us to create a healthier, happier workplace, drive creativity and innovation, and reflect the communities where we operate.

All applicants, employees, and guests can expect equality of opportunity and fair treatment in alignment with our values.

Leave it Better

We believe that the mountains transform us, that how we adventure matters, and that there’s always a better way.

Join us in creating positive change in ourselves, our communities, and the world.

Live it . Get out there - the mountains make us better

Disruptive evolution . In pursuit of better. Always.

Commit . We set bold objectives and see them through.