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Management & LeadershipISCO 1223

Footwear product development manager

A footwear product development manager is a person who coordinates the design of footwear and the product and collection development process, so that what is finally made matches the design specification, the deadlines, the strategic requirements and the company's policy. The role tracks a shoe from a drawing to a product that can be manufactured and sold.

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Rate 5 of the 26 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

create solutions to problems

distinguish accessories

create patterns for footwear

innovate in footwear and leather goods industry

implement footwear marketing plan

About footwear product development manager

The manager does more than approve designs. The manager tracks style development and reviews the design specifications against the design vision, the manufacturing environment and the company's financial targets. A design that cannot be made at the planned cost on the available machinery has to be changed while it is still a drawing.

Technical knowledge underpins this. The manager works from footwear manufacturing technology, refines footwear designs, carries out market research in the footwear industry to understand the market and the competition, and finds solutions to the problems that appear between a sample and a production run.

The chain beyond the factory belongs here too. The manager plans the supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goods production, applies the rules on workplace health and safety, and works to reduce the environmental impact of footwear production, where material choice, adhesives and waste are largely decided at the development stage.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (26)

footwear and leather goods marketing planningfootwear and leather goods marketing planningThe principles and methods used in creating a marketing plan and how a company can best position itself compared to its competitors, taking into account the specifities of the footwear and leather goo...health and safety in the workplacehealth and safety in the workplaceThe body of rules, procedures and regulations related to safety, health and welfare of people in their workplace.footwear materialsfootwear materialsThe characteristics, components, advantages and limitations of a wide range of materials used in footwear production: leather, leather substitutes (synthetics or artificial materials), textile, plasti...footwear manufacturing technologyfootwear manufacturing technologyFootwear processes technology and machinery involved. The footwear manufacturing starts in the cutting/clicking room , cutting the uppers and bottom components. The upper components are joined togethe...footwear creation processfootwear creation processFootwear creation projects starting from inspiration to technical design and manufacturing by following several stages. Latest trends in footwear materials, components, processes, and concepts.footwear qualityfootwear qualityQuality specifications of materials, processes and final products, the most common defects in footwear, quick tests procedures, laboratory tests procedures and standards, adequate equipment for qualit...footwear componentsfootwear componentsFootwear components both for uppers (vamps, quarters, linings, stiffeners, toe puffs etc.) and bottoms (soles, heels, insoles etc.). Ecological concerns and the importance of recycling. Selection of s...create solutions to problemscreate solutions to problemsSolve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising informat...distinguish accessoriesdistinguish accessoriesDistinguish accessories in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate accessories based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.create patterns for footwearcreate patterns for footwearProduce the mean form or shell, a two-dimensional representation of the three-dimensional shape of the last. Create scaled patterns for uppers and bottom components by manual methods from the designs.innovate in footwear and leather goods industryinnovate in footwear and leather goods industryInnovate in the footwear and leather goods sector. Evaluate new ideas and concepts to turn them into marketable products. Use entrepreneurial thinking in all stages of the product and process developm...implement footwear marketing planimplement footwear marketing planImplement marketing plans according to company specifications, complying with market demand.perform market research in footwearperform market research in footwearPerform market research on the company’s customers, selecting and applying the right marketing strategies for footwear industry. Apply the mix of marketing (product, prices, promotion, and distributio...apply development process to footwear designapply development process to footwear designUnderstand the needs of the consumer and analyse the fashion trends. Innovate and develop the footwear concepts from an aesthetic, functional and technological point of view by using a wide range of m...reduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturingreduce environmental impact of footwear manufacturingAssess the environmental impact of footwear manufacture and minimise environmental risks. Reduce environmentally harmful work practices in different stages of the footwear manufacturing.plan supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goodsplan supply chain logistics for footwear and leather goodsPlan, organise and monitor logistics and supply chain activities based on the footwear or leather goods company's main objectives regarding quality, cost, delivery, and flexibility.develop footwear collectiondevelop footwear collectionTransform footwear design ideas and concepts into prototypes and, finally, a collection. Analyse and check the designs from various angles like functionality, aesthetics, comfort, performance and manu...communicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languagescommunicate commercial and technical issues in foreign languagesSpeak one or more foreign languages in order to communicate commercial and technical issues with various suppliers and clients.distinguish fabricsdistinguish fabricsDistinguish fabrics in order to determine differences among them. Evaluate fabrics based on their characteristics and their application in wearing apparel manufacturing.use communication techniquesuse communication techniquesApply techniques of communication which allow interlocutors to better understand each other and communicate accurately in the transmission of messages.make technical drawings of fashion piecesmake technical drawings of fashion piecesMake technical drawings of wearing apparel, leather goods and footwear including both technical and engineering drawings. Use them to communicate or to convey design ideas and manufacturing details to...prepare footwear samplesprepare footwear samplesCreate, test and verify prototypes or samples of footwear against a predefined set of criteria throughout all stages of the manufacturing process. Revise the initial design concepts and implement tech...develop footwear and leather goods marketing plansdevelop footwear and leather goods marketing plansBe able to develop marketing plans and provide directions for marketing strategies of the company, as well as be able to identify potential markets and to perform marketing activities to promote the f...work in textile manufacturing teamswork in textile manufacturing teamsWork harmoniously with colleagues in teams in the textile and clothing manufacturing industries.apply fashion trends to footwear and leather goodsapply fashion trends to footwear and leather goodsBe able to stay up to date on the latest styles, attending fashion shows and review fashion/clothing magazines and manuals, analysing the past and present fashion trends in areas such as footwear, lea...use IT toolsuse IT toolsApplication of computers, computer networks and other information technologies and equipment to storing, retrieving, transmitting and manipulating data, in the context of a business or enterprise.
Optional (9) — show
CAD for footwearCAD for footwearThe architecture and functionality of 2D and 3D computer assisted design software systems for footwear.ergonomics in footwear and leather goods designergonomics in footwear and leather goods designThe principles used in the design of various styles of footwear and leather goods for the correct anatomic and ergonomic proportions and measurements.use CAD for solesuse CAD for solesDigitise and scan the lasts. Work with files in various CAD systems. Produce 3D models of soles and create 2D computer aided designs. Grade and obtain the size series. Prepare technical specifications...create technical sketches for footwearcreate technical sketches for footwearBe able to use various sketching and drawing techniques, including artistic representation, by hand or by computer, being aware of proportion and perspective, to sketch and draw footwear, lasts, soles...operate 2D CAD for footwearoperate 2D CAD for footwearBe able to read and interpret design specification to transfer 3D virtual models, computer made drawings and handmade sketches into the 2D environment of the CAD software. Flatten and work with digiti...use CAD for heelsuse CAD for heelsDigitise and scan the lasts. Work with files in various CAD systems. Produce 3D models of heels and create 2D computer aided designs. Grade and obtain the size series. Prepare technical specifications...create 3D CAD footwear prototypescreate 3D CAD footwear prototypesBe able to read and understand visual elements and technical design specifications from hand-made or computer-made sketches, pictures and drawings. Digitise or scan the lasts. Create the design upon t...manage footwear quality systemsmanage footwear quality systemsManage the company quality system. Create or elaborate the quality manual. Carry out the established requirements and objectives included in the quality policy. Foster internal and external communicat...use CAD for lastsuse CAD for lastsBe able to digitise and scan the lasts. Work with various 2D and 3D CAD systems and use the software to adopt and transform the shape of the lasts according to dimensional requirements of the customer...

Related Occupations

Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.

footwear product developer24 shared essential skillsfootwear designer19 shared essential skillsfootwear production manager13 shared essential skillsfootwear quality manager13 shared essential skillsleather goods product developer13 shared essential skillsfootwear production supervisor11 shared essential skillsfootwear production technician11 shared essential skillsbespoke footwear technician10 shared essential skills

Frequently asked questions

What does a footwear product development manager do?

Footwear product development managers coordinate the footwear design and the product and collection development process in order to comply with design specifications, deadlines, strategic requirements and policies of the company. They track style development and review design specifications in order to meet the design vision, the manufacturing environment, and the company’s financial goals.

What skills does a footwear product development manager need?

A footwear product development manager needs 26 essential skills, including footwear and leather goods marketing planning, health and safety in the workplace, footwear materials, footwear manufacturing technology, footwear creation process.

Will AI replace footwear product development manager jobs?

The AI disruption score for footwear product development manager is 33/100 (low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: perform market research in footwear, health and safety in the workplace, footwear quality. Most resilient: footwear components, footwear materials, work in textile manufacturing teams.

Quick Facts

SectorManagement & Leadership
ISCO GroupAdministrative and commercial managers
Essential Skills26

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