Director, Color Design - HOKA Footwear

At Deckers Brands, Together, Every Step is a promise kept that every employee can bring their authentic self, is valued and supported, as a whole person, at work and beyond. Together, Every Step is how we continue to deliver exceptional business results, experience an amazing place to work, and have a positive impact on the communities and world around us. 

Job Title: Director, Color Design - HOKA Footwear

Reports to: VP, Design - Global HOKA

Location: Portland, OR - In-Office

The Role

HOKA is redefining performance and lifestyle footwear through visionary innovation, emotion, and cultural relevance. As Director, Color Design, you will lead the global color vision for HOKA Footwear, elevating color as a strategic lever to shape consumer perception, storytelling, and commercial impact. You’ll drive long-term color strategy, seasonal direction, and execution frameworks across categories, partnering with Footwear Design, Materials, Product, Merchandising, and Marketing to ensure a cohesive and differentiated HOKA expression—balancing performance authenticity with cultural relevance.

Your Impact

Define and evolve the global HOKA footwear color vision across Performance and Lifestyle categories.
Develop annual and seasonal color strategies, palettes, and expression frameworks that scale globally.
Translate macro trends, consumer insight, and brand direction into ownable color systems.
Lead color direction across key footwear categories and franchises, ensuring consistency and differentiation.
Drive color storytelling that enhances product innovation, material expression, and performance credibility.
Champion bold, disruptive, and emotionally resonant color solutions that push the brand forward.
Partner closely with Product, Merchandising, Development, Innovation, and Marketing to align color with business strategy.
Lead and develop a high-performing Footwear Color Design team, providing mentorship, feedback, and growth opportunities.
Guide integration of color into broader design storytelling and product narratives.
Maintain strong awareness of lifestyle, sport-style, performance, and performance-crossover landscapes.

We celebrate diversity—of your background, your experiences and your unique identity. We are committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable workplace where all of our employees can Come as They Are. We believe that when we bring our different perspectives to work, we are truly Better Together.

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in industrial design, product design, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in footwear color design (performance and/or lifestyle).
• 3–5+ years of leadership experience managing creative teams.
• Proven ability to deliver globally relevant, commercially successful product.
• Expert in color theory, storytelling, and application in footwear.
• Deep knowledge of materials, construction, and product creation.
• Strong ability to connect performance innovation to lifestyle expression.
• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).
• Experience with 3D / AI design tools (Vizcom, Midjourney, Figma, etc.).
• Exceptional visual storytelling, presentation, and communication skills.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, and project leadership capabilities.
• Ability to lead in fast-paced, cross-functional environments.
• Portfolio demonstrating strategic color leadership and execution at scale.

What We'll Give You –

• Competitive Pay and Bonuses - We’ve created a variety of competitive compensation programs to foster career development, reward success and to show our employees just how much they’re valued.
• Financial Planning and wellbeing - No matter what financial goals our employees have set, we want to help them get there. Our plans provide powerful ways to protect income, pay for expenses and invest in the future.
• Time away from work - Sometimes we need time away to be with family, focus on our health or just simply recharge. Our plans support our employees’ needs to get out, get healthy and come back stronger than ever.
• Extras, discounts and perks - Being a valued member of the Deckers Brands team means more than just a paycheck. From generous discounts to community-based programs, we offer a variety of cool extras
• Growth and Development - Deckers Brands was built on the idea of pursuing passion. That’s why we offer extensive opportunities and support for personal and professional development.
• Health and Wellness - There’s nothing basic about our comprehensive health and wellness programs and offerings. While at work and at play, we aim to support a healthy lifestyle.

 

 

$154,700.00 - $208,800.00

 

The salary range posted reflects the estimated minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for this role in:

Portland, Oregon

 

Individual pay will be determined by location and additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Equal Employment Opportunity
Diversity and inclusion are key to our success. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and our employees are people with different strengths, experiences and backgrounds who share a passion for our brands. We welcome qualified applicants regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, military or veteran status, mental or physical disability, medical condition and all the other beautiful parts of your identity.