FOOTWEAR DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MANAGER

As the PLM Leader / Footwear Development Project Manager, you will drive product creation excellence, manage senior stakeholder relations, and ensure all development KPIs are exceeded:

• Strategic Collaboration & Stakeholder Management:
  • Build and maintain trust-based, influential relationships with Brand LO/HQ, internal teams, and external technology partners.
  • Ensure seamless cross-functional communication to achieve development goals and align international stakeholders.
• End-to-End Product & Quality Ownership:
  • Take absolute ownership of product quality, material performance, component integrity, and compliance testing across all stages.
  • Drive Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to implement corrective and preventive technical actions.
  • Champion innovation in product consistency, automation, and development speed.
• Value Engineering & Cost Optimization:
  • Streamline product creation by applying principles of simplification, standardization, modularization, and automation.
  • Continuously re-engineer products to achieve strict cost targets and maximize profitability.
  • Control material optimization, consumption management, and waste reduction.
• People Leadership & Team Transformation:
  • Manage overall team operations, schedules, resources, and succession planning.
  • Coach, mentor, and empower staff to foster a consumer-centric, development-driven mindset.
  • Ensure complete system data accuracy across digitalization platforms and deliver concise reports for executive review.

• Experience: 8–12+ years of robust experience in footwear development, with a proven track record of managing full lifecycle projects (prototyping, sample validation to production readiness).
• Brand Exposure: Prior experience working with global sportswear brands (e.g., adidas / NIKE) is highly preferred.
• Technical & Manufacturing Expertise: * Deep knowledge of footwear materials, costing, chemical processes, upper/bottom making, and manufacturing operations (cutting, stitching, lasting, assembly).
  • Strong expertise in project management across cross-functional functions (Planning, Commercialization, Production, QA, ME).
• Leadership & Soft Skills: Powerful leadership, presentation, and cross-cultural communication skills; advanced problem-solving and coaching abilities.
• Language & Tech: Advanced/Fluent English proficiency (written & spoken) ; advanced skills in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).