Job description

Jordan Design is where creative possibility meets purpose. It’s our place for bu ilders, boundary-breakers, and vision-setters – people who move with conviction, think originally, and create work shaped by real experience and cultural depth. Our team thrives when imagination, discipline, and collaboration come together. We look for leaders who bring their full creative voice, who understand the communities that inspire us, and who are driven to shape the future for the next generation of Jordan athletes and fans. To excel in our Apparel Basketball Design Director role, you must live and breathe the game – not just how it’s played, but how it’s felt, expressed, and evolved. The best Jordan Basketball Designers not only push the boundaries of performance on the court but also carry a deep understanding of hoops culture: it’s rhythm, it’s language, it’s icons, it’s unsung heroes, and it’s global influence. They study movement, mindset, and style with equal intensity. They know how the court, the community, and the culture shape one another – and they translate that connection into designs that honor the past, present, and ignite the future of the game. Become a part of the Jordan Design Team. THE ROLE MANIFESTO This role is for a designer shaped by the game in all its forms—its roots, its rhythm, its attitude, its ecosystems. The Jordan Basketball Design Director brings an instinctive understanding of how performance, expression, craft, and culture collide on and off the court. You bring an edge that’s earned, not borrowed. You bring confidence grounded in discipline and repetition. You bring a point of view shaped by the places and people who made you. Your work has presence. It moves with purpose. It communicates before a word is spoken. You build product with the same energy great athletes play with—intentional, fearless, and unwilling to settle. You don’t chase what’s already happening. You ignite what’s coming next. You know how to read the subtle signals—how the court, the community, and the culture influence one another—and you translate that into design that feels authentic, modern, and ahead of its time. Your role is not to decorate. Your role is to set standards. Your role is to create moments and product that shift how people move, feel, and express themselves through the game. This is leadership rooted in vision, clarity, and craft. This is design shaped by experience, sharpened by curiosity, and elevated through collaboration. This is how the next era takes shape. WHO YOU ’ LL WORK WITH As a Design Director of Apparel Product Design for Jordan Basketball, you ’ ll collaborate closely with the Sr. Creative Director, the Sr. Director of Visioneering, the Footwear Design Director, Color and Materials teams, Graphics Directors, and external partners to shape a cohesive vision for Basketball. Building strong partnerships across the design community and cross-functional teams will be essential to your success. You will foster a culture of collaboration—encouraging your team to explore new ideas, take calculated risks, and develop possibilities that have yet to be imagined. WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR To excel in our Apparel Basketball Design Director role, you must live and breathe the game—not only how it ’ s played, but how it ’ s felt, expressed, and evolved. The strongest designers in Jordan Basketball understand the sport as a worldwide cultural force: its icons, its emerging voices, its unspoken codes, and its constant reinvention. They study movement, mindset, and style with equal intensity. They observe how athletes carry themselves, how communities influence performance, how the smallest details shape identity. They honor the game ’ s heritage while imagining its future. As our Design Director, Apparel Product Design in Jordan Basketball, you will create industry-leading, innovative designs—footwear understanding included, but not limited to—driving concepts from ideation through execution. You will sit at the forefront of defining what ’ s next for Jordan Basketball, connecting emerging innovation, athlete insights, cultural signals, product exploration, and brand vision into ideas that move the organization forward. We value strategic problem-solvers who deliver measurable performance benefits matched with iconic, emotionally resonant design. You are the leader who elevates every room. You push ideas to their full potential. You bring clarity to ambiguity. You navigate confidently across disciplines—trend discovery, sport science, line planning, storytelling, materials, color, graphics, and construction. You stay connected to the communities shaping the game ’ s next wave, and you translate that energy into design that is both culturally sharp and performance-driven. You thrive in pace. You listen deeply. You respond decisively. You step into gaps instinctively. You rally partners around a compelling vision with clarity and conviction. WHAT YOU ’ LL WORK ON In this role, you’ll be responsible for shaping and driving design direction for Basketball Apparel, working closely with the Sr. Creative Director and external partners, to set evergreen and seasonal direction, and performance best practices, with clarity and inspiration. You ll lead the design team to execute product concepts that push boundaries for the future of the game. Your focus will be on championing product integrity, innovation, and performance as you oversee key initiatives from concept through execution. You’ll be deeply involved in developing design strategies and ensuring excellence through advanced concepts. Additionally, you’ll manage presentations and communicate design visions to a variety of audiences, ensuring that all projects meet our high standards and timelines. The role also involves working with our Jordan athletes and travel. WHAT YOU BRING Bachelor s degree in Apparel Design, a related field. Will accept any suitable combination of education an experience, and training. At least 10 years’ experience designing and developing innovative apparel, accessories and other products. Knowledge of form, color, materials, human factors, related to elevating the consumer experience Ability to translate consumer knowledge and insights into product solutions and narratives Experience in technical apparel design - Basketball design is a plus Strong Photoshop, Illustrator skills Must be able to build accurate 2D technical drawings (tech packs) Cobbling and prototyping skills are a plus 3D design programs experience is a plus Ai design programs experience is a plus Strong sketching, illustration, and rendering skills Solid knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials Must be able to generate a broad range of concepts and solutions for each project Knowledge and experience with sustainable design and manufacturing are a plus Experienced with presentation programs: Keynote, PowerPoint, Acrobat, etc. Experience working with athletes and collaborators are a plus Positive personality and energy Ability and passion to lead, mentor and onboard Design teammates Contribute and align to shared team culture and behaviors Catalyst to make connections with other Design groups Lead drive partnerships beyond the Design function (Marketing, Development, etc.) Motivated and hardworking about bringing others along Extraordinary teammate, and humble leader Collaborator with a skill in connecting the dots Speaks up with courage for self and the team Thrives in a fast pace environment Anticipates the needs of the athlete and marketplace Open minded, good listener, receptive to candid feedback and diverse points of view We offer a number of accommodations to complete our interview process including screen readers, sign language interpreters, accessible and single location for in-person interviews, closed captioning, and other reasonable modifications as needed. If you discover, as you navigate our application process, that you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please complete the Candidate Accommodation Request Form .

Requirements

Must-haves

Become a part of the Jordan Design Team.
This role is for a designer shaped by the game in all its forms—its roots, its rhythm, its attitude,
its ecosystems. The Jordan Basketball Design Director brings an instinctive understanding of
how performance, expression, craft, and culture collide on and off the court.
You bring an edge that’s earned, not borrowed.
You bring confidence grounded in discipline and repetition.
You bring a point of view shaped by the places and people who made you.
Your work has presence. It moves with purpose. It communicates before a word is spoken.
You build product with the same energy great athletes play with—intentional, fearless, and unwilling to settle.
You don’t chase what’s already happening.
You ignite what’s coming next. You know how to read the subtle signals—how the court, the community, and the culture influence one another—and you translate that into design that feels authentic, modern, and
ahead of its time.
Your role is not to decorate.
Your role is to set standards.
Your role is to create moments and product that shift how people move, feel, and express themselves through the game.
This is leadership rooted in vision, clarity, and craft.
This is design shaped by experience, sharpened by curiosity, and elevated through collaboration.
This is how the next era takes shape.

Nice-to-haves

Experience in technical apparel design - Basketball design is a plus
Cobbling and prototyping skills are a plus
3D design programs experience is a plus
Ai design programs experience is a plus
Knowledge and experience with sustainable design and manufacturing are a plus
Experience working with athletes and collaborators are a plus

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

Platform: workday
Effort: long

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Vision