Brand Footwear Director

Our client is a team of passionate people united by a desire to create and produce exceptional

footwear
products in the most responsible way possible. Combining science, creativity,

engineering, authenticity and teamwork, we obsess over delivering the most incredible products

for our Brand Partners.

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Your Job:

As Brand Director (Development & Creation), you'll own Product Creation, from early briefing and design intent through digital sampling, engineering, development, and confirmation. You are also the key window to your assigned Brand Partners.

This role requires a leader who can hit the ground running, inspire confidence from the first day,

and drive clarity, direction and momentum across all product creation teams.

Core Responsibilities:

• 1. Leadership of Product Creation

• Lead the entire Product Creation and Development function across the assigned Brand

Partners.

• Oversee Design, Engineering, Development, Cost, Digital Creation teams.

• Ensure excellence in fit, construction, durability, technical integrity and design intent.

• Drive product and material innovation in line with the brand's values of responsible

evolution.

• 2. Dual Leadership with the Production Director
• Joint approval of tooling readiness, SOPs, final specifications and fit sign-off during

commercialisation.

• Collaborate closely to assess feasibility, resolve tension points, and maintain design-intent

fidelity.

• Shared ownership of seasonal readiness including material alignment, risk flagging and

factory capacity.

• Unified communication to Brand Partners throughout creation and production phases.

• Commitment to a no-surprises culture / immediate cross-communication of risks or

opportunities.

• 3. Brand Partner Leadership & Strategic Relationship Management

• Serve as the primary partner-facing leader for all product creation matters.

• Guide Brand Partners through design, development, cost and technical decision-making.

• Lead range architecture, product strategy and future seasonal planning.

• Provide clear, honest communication on technical, timeline and feasibility issues.

• 4. Product Creation Management & Technical Excellence

• Oversee development of patterns, constructions, specifications and technical packages.

• Lead approval of prototypes, wear tests, constructions and fit reviews.

• Drive engineering collaboration across upper, bottom and tooling teams.

• Ensure technical documentation is complete and accurate prior to production handover.

• 5. Product Conformation & Costing Alignment

• "Own" product up to final confirmation sample.

• Align costing expectations with partners while protecting product integrity.

• Coordinate with Production Director to ensure costing decisions support production

efficiency.

• 6. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, mentor and develop multi-disciplinary product creation teams.

• Build a culture grounded in craftsmanship, curiosity and responsibility.

• Strengthen collaboration with Engineering, Costing, Planning and Production.

• 7. Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Champion digital workflows, virtual sampling, 3D tools and AI-driven insights.

• Drive innovation in materials, constructions and responsible product solutions.

• Simplify processes and improve speed-to-market across the creation ecosystem.

General Responsibilities:

• This role is based in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

• Represent Product Creation in executive forums and strategic planning.
• Collaborate closely across all product-related teams: Development, Engineering, Costing,

Planning, QA and Production.

• Identify risks early and coordinate mitigation plans with the Production Director.

• Uphold the brand's values in all decisions and interactions.

• Provide calm and confident leadership, especially under pressure.

Ideal Qualifications:

• 12–15+ years of footwear product development and engineering leadership experience.

• Expertise across design, development, engineering, digital creation and commercialisation.

• Strong track record of leading teams for global performance or lifestyle footwear brands.

• Excellent communication, presentation and client relationship skills.

• Calm, strategic and solutions-oriented leadership style.

• Fluent English