Nike seeks a senior design leader to guide the Women’s Sportswear graphics space from Beaverton, driving visual storytelling across NSW collections and shaping graphic strategy in collaboration with cross-functional partners and leadership. This role leads a small team, translating creative narratives into cohesive design across apparel, footwear, and accessories while ensuring delivery on seasonal goals and strategic vision.
Responsibilities
- Direct a compact team responsible for developing narratives across multiple NSW collections via Graphic Visual Centers and formal presentations.
- Partner with Product and Design teams to align on construction, development insights, and presentation gates.
- Coordinate with Apparel and Footwear Design teammates to help define the future of sport and culture within NSW.
- Guide the full cycle from brainstorms on creative strategies to meetings reviewing graphics, materials, color design, and product elements to meet objectives.
- Collaborate with the Apparel & Footwear Graphic Design Director and Product Leadership to shape graphic strategy and ensure alignment with NSW ethos, working with designers, developers, and product managers.
- Work with product development to realize product concepts from trims to print applications, considering cost implications.
- Provide coaching and growth opportunities for direct reports; lead teams through seasonal projects.
- Present the thinking behind designs to leadership, ensuring feasibility and timely delivery.
- Oversee multiple reports, set priorities, manage workloads, and deliver high-quality design outcomes aligned to seasonal targets.
- Travel domestically and internationally to factories and vendor partners to review sampling, materials, and production execution, preserving design integrity to final product.
- Offer direction and strategic leadership across categories tomaintain cohesive storytelling and seasonal alignment between product dimensions.
- Partner with business, merchandising, and product creation teams to craft presentations that convey design intent and narrative clearly to leadership and cross-functional partners.
- Build an understanding of the apparel and footwear product creation process and the role of graphics, trims, and branding in storytelling.
- Communicate through narratives and leadership-facing materials to inspire and influence across levels of the organization.
- Demonstrate curiosity, motivation, and adaptability in ambiguous situations.
- Lead with strong Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills; Adobe CC fluency, with 3D design, AI, and emerging tools considered a major plus.
- Collaborate with freelance and external creative partners, providing art direction as needed.
- Manage freelance resources, external vendors, and budgets to ensure effective resourcing and creative impact.
- foster an inclusive, collaborative, and empowering team environment that welcomes diverse perspectives.
Requirements
- Experience as a visionary design leader responsible for Women’s Sportswear apparel and footwear graphics.
- Strong taste and understanding of modern fashion, streetwear, and culture, with the ability to elevate Nike’s global NSW storytelling through compelling narratives.
- Best-in-class competency in typography, design, illustration, conceptual thinking, and end-to-end process excellence.
- Creative design portfolio is required to be submitted with applications (website links or PDF attachments).
- Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- 8+ years of graphic design experience, preferably in product creation or a agency setting.
- Deep understanding of the fashion, streetwear, and lifestyle brand landscape with the ability to translate cultural insights into differentiated product stories.
- A well-curated portfolio demonstrating research, inspiration, design development, problem-solving, process, and final execution.
- Proven ability to lead, motivate, and mentor designers, fostering creative excellence across multiple teams and categories.
- Capable of acting as a proxy for the Design Director when needed, representing creative vision and priorities for Footwear and Apparel.
- Provides strategic design leadership for multiple categories, driving cohesive storytelling and seasonal alignment.
- Experience managing multiple reports, prioritizing workloads, and delivering high-quality design on schedule.
- Strong collaboration with business, merchandising, and product creation teams to communicate design intent and narrative to leadership and partners.
- Willingness to travel domestically and internationally to factories and vendor partners to ensure design integrity through production.
- Solid understanding of the product creation process and the role of graphics, trims, and branding in storytelling.
- Exceptional narrative development and communication skills capable of inspiring across the business.
- Curiosity, resilience, and optimism while navigating change.
- High proficiency in Adobe Illustrator; Photoshop proficiency; strong Digital Design acumen in Adobe CC; 3D design, AI, and emerging tools a major plus.
- Ability to collaborate with and direct freelance and external creative partners.
- Experience managing freelance resources, external vendors, and budgets to maximize resourcing and impact.
- Commitment to diverse perspectives and an inclusive, collaborative team environment.
Technologies
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- 3D design, AI and emerging design tools
Benefits
- Generous total rewards package
- Casual work environment
- Diverse and inclusive culture
- Vibrant atmosphere for professional development
Position Type
Full Time
Career Area
Design
Location
1 Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, Oregon 97005, United States
Job ID
R-71325
Who You’ll Work With
You will collaborate closely with the Apparel & Footwear Graphic Design Director and Product Leadership to drive graphic strategy and align with NSW ethos, working with multiple design, development, and product management teams. The role includes leadership of direct reports, coaching, and guiding seasonal projects, while ensuring timely, high-quality creative output.
What Will You Work On
You will lead a small team tasked with conceptualizing narratives across several NSW collections via Graphic Visual Centers and presentations. You will align with Product and Design partners on construction, development insights, and presentation gates, and guide Apparel and Footwear Design teammates to advance sport and culture narratives across NSW. Activities range from creative strategy brainstorms to reviews of graphics, materials, color design, and related product elements to meet goals.
Who We Are Looking For
We seek an experienced design leader who can manage the Women’s Sportswear graphics space for apparel and footwear. The ideal candidate brings deep fashion and streetwear understanding, strong visual storytelling skills for Nike’s NSW, and excellence across typography, design, and end-to-end processes. A robust portfolio, global mindset, and ability to mentor teams are essential, along with proficiency in Illustrator and Photoshop and alignment with the NSW ethos. Travel and collaboration across cross-functional teams are integral parts of the role.
What You Can Expect
- Our Hiring Plan: Apply and explore how your skills fit across departments and teams.
- Meet a Recruiter or Take an Assessment: If selected, you will engage with a recruiter or complete role-specific assessments to share your approach and fit.
- Interview: Prepare to discuss your background, design processes, and how you translate insights into compelling narratives and product stories.
