Footwear Designer

Are you a confident and effective communicator?

Do you have minimum 3 years commercial track record designing for a sport, outdoor or comfort lifestyle footwear brand?

Looking for a role where you can assist in creating great looking, quality, commercial, cohesive footwear across all our ranges?

If so, we have an opportunity for a Footwear Designer to join our Product team!

The Impact you will have in this role is:

DESIGN

• Create innovative, commercial products considering technology, construction, end use, and price points.

• Understand brand positioning and identify market opportunities with UK and European sales teams.

• Partner with Design Manager, Category Manager, and Head of Footwear on agreed briefs.

• Define key specs to support range hierarchy and address pricing challenges.

• Ensure branded artwork accuracy by coordinating with clothing and marketing teams.

• Apply seasonal colour palettes for footwear, ensuring cohesive range and apparel alignment.

DEVELOP

• Collaborate with sourcing to develop materials, components, soles, lasts, and technologies from concept to handover.

• Produce accurate specs including sketches, sole details, material and colour briefs.

• Ensure outsole specs are fit for purpose with clear materials and technologies.

• Maintain accurate PLM data.

• Support last development briefs with Design Manager and technical team.

• Travel to China for range development with Asia offices and suppliers.

• Communicate with Asia teams, share updates, and hold Teams calls.

• Support JCM with fittings, extreme sizes, and sample management.

RESEARCH

• Collaborate with Design, Category, and Footwear Heads on seasonal trend research via online sources, travel, store visits, competitor reviews, retailer meetings, and trend platforms.

• Attend country manager feedback sessions to assess prior season performance.

• Visit key trade shows and exhibitions for industry insights.

• Gain consumer understanding through store time and brand events.

• Join key customer sell-in meetings to gauge range reception and identify future opportunities.

MILESTONE MEETINGS

• Represent the footwear team in milestone meetings, offering design insights and supporting range presentations across Strategy, Colour, CAD, Pricing, and Launch.

• Respond to feedback with commercial updates or identify new opportunities.

• Prepare all design materials and samples to ensure smooth meeting execution.

• Support seasonal range launches, presenting to international sales teams.

• Carry out ad hoc tasks as needed.

A full job description outlining all deliverables and requirements for the above can be found attached to the advert on our careers page.

As our future Footwear Designer, you will have:

• In depth knowledge of outdoor sports or leisure footwear markets/brands in the UK and across Europe.
• Confident effective communicator.
• Strong creative flair with an ability to visualise ideas, be it drawing, sketching or using a tablet.
• A commercial understanding of designing to target price.
• Willing to undertake regular UK, European and Far East travel.
• Comprehensive understanding of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Experience of 3D design packages an advantage.
• Good understanding of general software, such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Acrobat.

We can offer you:

• Profit Share Bonus: Enjoy a discretionary bonus based on the company's success.
• Future-Proof Pension: Secure your retirement with our comprehensive pension plan.
• Annual Leave: 25 days starting annual leave entitlement
• Loyalty Rewards: Earn an extra day off for every 3 years of service, up to 2 additional days.
• Buy More Leave: Buy up to an additional 3 days of annual leave every year
• Exclusive Discounts: Get special discounts across all our brands.
• Perks at Your Fingertips: Access a variety of benefits through our company website.
• Family Support: Benefit from enhanced Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave after 2 years of service.
• Celebrate You: Take advantage of birthday hours to celebrate your special day.
• Wellness Walks: Join company walks to stay active and connect with colleagues.
• Inspiring Workspace: Work in a state-of-the-art Head Office environment.
• Volunteer Day: Enjoy a paid day off to give back to your community.
• Hassle-Free Parking: Free, secure on-site parking for all employees.
• Delicious Dining: Enjoy meals at our subsidized canteen, featuring Starbucks coffee.
• Cycle to Work: Save on travel with our cycle-to-work scheme.
• Fitness Perks: Access discounted gym memberships at various locations.
• Convenient Facilities: Freshen up with our on-site shower facilities, complete with hairdryers and straighteners.

Our Regatta Family:

The Regatta Group supplies quality outdoor clothing and accessories through our 3 great brands - Regatta, Craghoppers and Dare2b - whether exploring the Amazon rainforest, walking your dog in the local park or cycling the Tour de France, we have what you need.

It’s a friendly, supportive family business - a place where bakers, dog walkers, book worms, students, parents, travellers, movie buffs, foodies, festival goers, musicians and more come together to create experiences our customers really appreciate.

The thing we all have in common, is that we share the same core values of Great Relationships and Entrepreneurial Spirit.

Our investment in the environment:

Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and you will have the opportunity to support our Group wide sustainability committee and put ideas into action and really make a difference to the world we live in!

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: At Regatta Group, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace. We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from all backgrounds. Should you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we are happy to support you.

Take the leap-join us in making a difference, both for our team and the world around us!