Principal Designer, Footwear - HOKA Innovation

Location: Portland, Oregon, hybrid; typically in the office three times per week, Tuesday–Thursday

Salary: $137,500–$185,600 per year in Portland, Oregon.

Company

hirify.global develops and operates global lifestyle and performance footwear brands, including HOKA.

What you will do

• Design and engineer future performance footwear combining athlete needs, innovation, and HOKA’s design DNA.
• Lead innovation projects aligned with HOKA’s strategy, roadmap, and seasonal calendar.
• Create and refine 2D and 3D tech packs, renderings, product narratives, and presentations.
• Collaborate with elite athletes, sports scientists, testing teams, engineers, developers, and agencies to test and refine products.
• Explore new materials, constructions, aesthetics, sustainability approaches, and advanced manufacturing methods.
• Travel to factories, trade shows, athlete events, and design or development trips.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in apparel, footwear, industrial, or transportation design, or equivalent education and experience.
• 8–10+ years of related performance footwear design experience.
• Expertise in technical performance footwear, including materials, construction, fit, sustainability, and advanced manufacturing.
• Mastery of digital design tools including Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Figma, Rhino, Grasshopper, Blender, Clo, KeyShot, Gravity Sketch, Vizcom, Midjourney, and Claude.
• Ability to prototype early concepts into tangible mockups and samples while balancing creative ambition with manufacturing constraints.
• Strong communication, collaboration, project management, design thinking, and strategic design skills.

Nice to have

• 1–3+ years of people management experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive and equitable workplace focused on bringing diverse perspectives to work.
• Competitive compensation programs and bonuses.
• Financial planning, income protection, investment, health, and wellness programs.
• Paid time away to support family needs, health, and recovery.
• Brand discounts, community programs, and professional development opportunities.