Design Director, Racquet Sports

Overview

Design Director, Racquet Sports | Chicago, IL (Hybrid)

 

At Wilson, we are here to empower every human to live like an athlete. Passion. Creativity. Integrity. Teamwork. Ambition. Innovation. These are the qualities that have made Wilson Sporting Goods Co. the number one sports equipment brand in the world. We come together to win, grow, and celebrate. We all play for Team Wilson. We all have a role to play within our organization and are working towards the same goal. One team, one dream.

 

We believe that being an athlete isn’t something you do, it’s who you are. It’s a universal code of conduct, a way of seeing the world and how you show up every day. We seek out diverse voices and welcome all perspectives. Our team is composed of individuals with unique backgrounds, points of view and experiences. These perspectives create a rich and diverse culture in which we learn from one another through empathy and inclusion.

 

Evolving the sports world and being the best partner for players, athletes, and our community is no small task. We are continually looking to add enthusiastic, ambitious, team-first individuals who desire to make a difference — and who love to help others win. Together, we will create a better world through sport. Join us.

What You'll Do

The Design Director, Racquet Sports is the creative leader for Wilson Tennis, Padel, and Pickleball equipment design. This is a hands-on, on-site design leadership role. You will personally concept and craft alongside your team while setting the design vision and leading its execution, shaping how the world's most iconic racquet sports brand looks, feels, and performs on court.

 

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Define and own the design vision and creative direction for Tennis, Padel, and Pickleball across industrial design, graphic design, CMF, and on-product brand expression, working in deep collaboration with your design team rather than directing from a distance
• Lead from the front: concept, sketch, and craft alongside your designers, setting the bar for craft through your own work and elevating the team's output through critique and creative mentorship
• Drive a concept-forward design team focused on generating strong concepts, renders, and design intent, with the flexibility to explore and push creative direction
• Work closely with the Wilson Innovation team on industrial design, partnering from early-stage technology exploration through productization to ensure new performance technologies are expressed through compelling, ownable design
• Explore new CMF applications: pioneer materials, finishes, decoration techniques, and surface technologies that differentiate Wilson on court and at retail, and build a CMF roadmap across the racquet sports portfolio
• Build a unified design language across the racquet sports portfolio that balances franchise distinctiveness (performance, tour, lifestyle tiers) with one unmistakable Wilson identity
• Partner directly with Wilson Footwear and Apparel design leadership to align silhouettes, graphics, color, and storytelling, ensuring a single, coherent Wilson design vision across equipment, footwear, and apparel
• Translate athlete insight, on-court performance requirements, and global market dynamics (US, EMEA, APAC, China) into design strategy and seasonal direction
• Collaborate with Product Line Management and Engineering from brief through commercialization, protecting design intent through manufacturing constraints, cost targets, and factory execution
• Lead design reviews with executive leadership; present vision, rationale, and tradeoffs with clarity and conviction
• Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing multidisciplinary design team spanning industrial and graphic design
• Champion rapid prototyping, athlete validation, and real-world testing as core to the design process

What We're Looking For

This role requires a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Graphic Design, or a related field, along with 10+ years of design experience and 4+ years leading multidisciplinary design teams, ideally in performance sports, consumer hard goods, or premium consumer products.

 

Other qualifications include:

• A portfolio demonstrating mastery in both three-dimensional product design and two-dimensional graphic systems, with shipped products at scale
• Proven ability to set creative vision and personally execute design work at the highest level; you lead by designing alongside the team and setting the craft bar through your own output
• Deep fluency in CMF with a track record of bringing new materials, finishes, or decoration processes to market
• Experience designing within manufacturing realities: materials, tooling, decoration processes, cost engineering, and Asia-based factory partnerships
• Strong cross-functional leadership; able to align product, marketing, innovation, and adjacent design organizations around one direction
• Exceptional storytelling and executive presentation skills
• Passion for racquet sports strongly preferred; an athlete's mindset required
• Based in Chicago or willing to relocate; this is a hybrid in-office role

 

What We’ll Provide

 

A reasonable estimate of the pay range is $150,000 - $175,000 per year at the time of this posting. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors such as job-related skills, relevant experience, education, and/or training. Please note that the range details reflect the base pay only and does not include our competitive bonus program.

 

Located in the vibrant, sports-centric city of Chicago, Wilson Sporting Goods Co. global headquarters sits along the lakefront with first-class access to a burgeoning creative, innovative, energetic, and active professional community. We offer an open, collaborative, high-tech work environment with best-in-class amenities and perks, including:

• Medical, dental and vision
• Pre-tax transit discounts
• 401(k) with company match
• Life insurance
• Paid maternity/paternity leave
• Professional development opportunities
• Volunteering programs
• Team building outings
• Discounts on Wilson and Amer Sports products
• On-site health club
• Summer hours
• Company-sponsored sports leagues/teams
• Fun, active company outings around major sports events

Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristics.