Women's Footwear Designer

DESIGNER, FOOTWEAR

REPORTS TO: DIRECTOR OF WOMEN'S DESIGN

STATUS: EXEMPT

Summary

Boot Barn is where community comes first. We thrive on togetherness, collaboration, and belonging. We build each other up, listen intently, and implement out-of-the-box ideas.  We celebrate new innovations, congratulate one another’s achievements, and most importantly support each other.

At Boot Barn, we work together to make a positive impact on the world around us, and by working collectively with encouragement, we consider ourselves “Partners.” With the values of the West guiding us, Boot Barn celebrates heritage, welcomes all, and values each unique Partner within our Boot Barn community.

Our vision is to offer everyone a piece of the American spirit – one handshake at a time. 

The Designer – Women’s Footwear drives the ideation, design, and execution of women’s boot styles across multiple brands and categories. This role is responsible for translating trend insights and brand strategy into commercially viable, consumer-driven product that delivers on financial goals and strengthens brand positioning in-store and online. This individual combines strong aesthetic vision with technical footwear knowledge to create differentiated, competitive product that resonates with the target customer.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Research market trends, consumer insights, and sales performance to identify opportunities within the women’s boot category.
• Design commercially viable women’s boots that align with brand DNA, price architecture, and margin targets.
• Develop seasonal design direction including silhouettes, heel constructions, toe shapes, materials, color palettes, hardware, and detailing.
• Create clear and detailed Tech Packs including multiple-view sketches, construction details, material specifications, colorways, and complete Bills of Materials (BOM).
• Partner with Product Development and Sourcing to ensure designs meet cost targets (IMU) and profitability goals.
• Communicate design intent to factories and vendors, reviewing and commenting on prototypes, material submissions, hardware, outsoles, and color approvals.
• Participate in fit sessions and wear-testing, providing timely updates and revisions to Tech Packs and design documentation.
• Track prototypes and pre-production samples to ensure adherence to seasonal timelines and development calendars.
• Ensure assortments deliver cohesive storytelling across lifestyle segments while maintaining brand positioning and differentiation.
• Manage final style handoff to Product Development, ensuring all approvals and documentation are complete and accurate.
• Demonstrate accountability, attention to detail, accuracy, and willingness to learn.
• Demonstrates high level of quality work, attendance and appearance.
• Demonstrates high degree of professionalism in communication, attitude and teamwork with customers, peers and management.
• Adhere to all local, federal and state laws in addition to Company policies, procedures, and practices.
• Perform any other duties that may be assigned by management.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in footwear design, with a strong focus on women’s boots preferred
• Proven ability to translate global trends into commercially viable product aligned with the target customer and brand DNA
• Strong working knowledge of footwear construction, materials, pattern engineering, last development, outsole construction, hardware, and trim development
• Experience designing within lifestyle, western, workwear, or outdoor footwear categories preferred
• Solid understanding of costing, IMU, margin targets, and retail math to support profitable product development
• Experience partnering with overseas factories and agents throughout the footwear development process
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to clearly communicate design intent
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizational and time management skills with a sense of urgency to meet deadlines
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Ability to build strong cross-functional partnerships with Product Development, Sourcing, Merchandising, and vendors
• Quarterly international travel required

Competencies

• Professionalism
• Organization
• Versatility
• Communication
• Results-Oriented
• Initiative
• Innovation
• Optimistic

Boot Barn Benefits & Additional Compensation Opportunities

• Competitive hourly rate.
• Merchandise discount: 50% off of Exclusive Brands and 40% off of third-party brands.
• Paid Time Off plan for year-round Boot Barn Partners.**
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance.**
• 401(k) plan with generous company matching.
• Flexible schedules and work/life balance.
• Opportunities for growth at every level – we are opening 50+ new stores each year.

**For eligible Boot Barn Partners

PAY RANGE: $80,000.00 - $100,000.00/yr*

*compensation varies based on geography, skills, experience, and tenure

Physical Demands

In general, the following physical demands are representative of those that must be met by a Partner to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Standing, walking and squatting less than fifty percent of the work shift.
• Required to lift, move and carry up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to read, count and write to accurately complete all documentation and reports.
• Must be able to see, hear and speak in order to communicate with partners and customers.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
• Manual dexterity required using hands to finger; handle, feel and type; reach with hands and arms.

[    ] Sedentary: Limited activity, no lifting, limited walking

[ X ] Light: Office work, some lifting, bending, stooping or kneeling, walking

[    ] Moderate: Mostly standing, walking, bending, frequent lifting

[    ] Arduous: Heavy lifting, bending, crawling, climbing

Work Environment

In general, the following conditions of the work environment are representative of those that a Partner encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow differently abled individuals to perform the essential functions of the job within the environment.

• The workspace is clean, orderly, properly lighted and ventilated with the proper safety compliance.
• Noise levels are considered moderate.

Boot Barn, Inc. reserves the right to make exceptions to modify or eliminate this document or its content.  This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines pertaining to this subject.

Our core value of community bands us together in supportive and inclusive ways to drive our collective success. Boot Barn provides equal employment opportunity to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national or ethnic origin, veteran or military status, disability, as well as any other protected status under the law.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - Boot Barn will provide reasonable accommodations (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with the application process upon your request as required by applicable laws. If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please visit your nearest Boot Barn Store or Distribution Center or reach out to Human Resources at 1-949-453-4400, Option 4.

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