Footwear Designer- Corporate Headquarters, NJ

Position Summary:

The Footwear Designer – Children’s Shoes will lead the design and development process for seasonal children’s footwear collections, ensuring alignment with The Children’s Place brand DNA, consumer needs, and business strategies. The ideal candidate is a trend-savvy, consumer-obsessed designer with deep knowledge of children’s footwear design, construction, fit, and safety requirements. They will balance creativity with commercial viability and partner cross-functionally to bring innovative, functional, and fun footwear to market.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead the conceptualization, design, and development of seasonal children’s footwear collections across multiple categories (infant, toddler, and big kids).
• Research global fashion trends, competitive landscape, materials, and consumer insights to inform forward-thinking and brand-right designs.
• Create compelling sketches, tech packs, and prototypes that communicate design vision with clarity and detail.
• Ensure designs meet both aesthetic and functional needs unique to children’s footwear (comfort, durability, safety, ease of use).
• Partner with Merchandising, and Sourcing teams to ensure design intent is translated into high-quality, cost-effective products and meets our target AUC.
• Review samples and prototypes, providing detailed feedback on fit, construction, materials, and trim to refine product to final approval stage.
• Balance innovation with commercial viability, ensuring products are trend-right, age-appropriate, and aligned with brand pricing architecture.
• Present seasonal concepts, design directions, and line reviews to leadership, merchandising, and cross-functional partners.
• Collaborate with Graphic Design, Apparel Design, and Marketing teams to ensure product matches back and is cohesive across categories.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external vendors, factories, and suppliers, communicating clearly to achieve design execution excellence.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Footwear Design, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, or related field.
• 5+ years of professional footwear design experience, with a strong focus on children’s footwear preferred.
• Proven track record of developing successful footwear collections from concept through production.

Skills and Behaviors:

• Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign), Miro, and Microsoft Office.
• Excellent sketching, rendering, and technical drawing abilities.
• Knowledge of footwear construction, lasts, fit requirements, and child-specific safety standards
• Strong understanding of color theory, materials, and trend forecasting.
• Must be able to work towards multiple deadlines with shifting priorities.

Core Competencies:

• Creative visionary with strong commercial sensibility.
• Strong project management and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under tight timelines.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and storytelling skills.
• Collaborative team player who thrives in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to anticipate and resolve challenges throughout the design process.