Lead – Kids Design Operations

Lead – Kids Design Operations

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field, or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training.
• 5 years’ experience in operations, project management, strategy, design, or relevant industry.
• Strong communication + presentation skills; able to influence across multiple functions and levels.
• Excellent problem solving and analytical thinking skills.
• Self-directed and comfortable working in ambiguous environments.
• Ability to handle multiple workstreams and balance competing priorities under seasonal timelines.
• Strong interpersonal, consensus-building skills, with ability to advocate and achieve results.

Responsibilities

• Support the Consumer Footwear Create & Express and Branded Partnerships design process.
• Manage seasonal design calendars; leading process creation and optimization for design-owned workstreams.
• Conduct workshops or meetings to gather insights and help define clear expectations, tools, and processes that drive creative collaboration across footwear and Branded Partnership design teams.
• Own Consumer Design calendar, communication, and process adjustments across Footwear Performance and Lifestyle and Branded Partnerships.
• Partner with Directors and Designers on various seasonal planning efforts, including creative direction planning, staff meeting engagement, and x-functional leadership collaboration.
• Consult in scheduling, standardizing, and optimizing design specific micro-processes or sprints in service of creativity.
• Foster a high-performance team and studio by executing process excellence and driving synergy across Product, Color, Materials, and GFX into one design process.
• Establish and foster strong cross-functional relationship with Product Management, Development, and Merchandising partners.
• Work closely with Ops Sr. Manager to ensure all policy and procedures are properly implemented and organized for design teams.
• Partner in evolution of new design or x-functional capabilities that are aligned to transformative initiatives.
• Consult as Design subject matter expert for capability building.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of product creation processes + design thinking in footwear or apparel (strongly preferred).
• Experience working with creative teams in a studio/agency environment (preferred).
• Proficient in Keynote, PowerPoint, Miro, and Airtable (preferred).
• Experience with, or knowledge of creative digital tools (preferred).
• Passion for process excellence + simplification; unlocking innovation, collaboration, and improved ways of working.