R&D Tech Lead - Footwear

About Cult - Curefit Healthcare Pvt Ltd, founded in 2016, is India's largest fitness company and wellness platform. Cult, from the house of Curefit, was established with a mission to make fitness easy, fun, and accessible to everyone, and has emerged as a community celebrating the joy of fitness. The brand today offers a range of fitness services ranging from group workouts, gyms, and personalized fitness solutions, as well as an expansive selection of quality fitness products for the everyday athlete. The company's vision is to empower everyone towards an active and healthier lifestyle through innovative fitness solutions, enabled by technology. We are looking for a highly driven and deeply technical R&D Technical Lead - Footwear to join Brand Cult at our Bahadurgarh location. This is not a process-bound role - it is a full ownership role for someone who takes complete accountability for product excellence, innovation, and problem-solving at every level of footwear creation. The right candidate will lead with technical depth, creative curiosity, and execution rigor, driving innovation not only in manufacturing or SOPs, but across systems, last design, materials, packaging, new category development, and overall product performance. This is a high-impact position with full visibility and ownership of product evolution. Key Responsibilities: Product Innovation & Technical Ownership Own the end-to-end technical development of footwear products across all categories - from idea to shelf. Drive continuous innovation in construction methods, component engineering, insole, sole technologies, material blending, and ergonomic performance. Actively lead new last development programs across sport and lifestyle categories - ensuring comfort, fit consistency, and biomechanical support. Take complete responsibility for packaging innovation - optimizing for sustainability, protection, unboxing experience, and cost. Root-Cause Analysis & Problem Solving Be the go-to person for solving complex product problems arising from field performance, customer feedback, or production variability. Lead detailed RCA (Root Cause Analysis) for every significant product complaint or failure - across materials, construction, fit, or wear performance. Fix issues at the root level and ensure learnings are documented and fed back into future product cycles and SOPs. SOPs, Standards & Norms Creation Build and standardize robust SOPs, material standards, performance benchmarks, testing protocols, and production guidelines for all current and future product lines. Institutionalize knowledge into documentation that scales - ensuring consistent output across factories, vendors, and internal teams. Material & Construction Excellence Research, source, and test advanced materials (textiles, leathers, foams, rubbers, composites) based on functional need, sustainability goals, and cost targets. Lead new development trials and optimize manufacturing processes for durability, comfort, and scalability. Cross-Functional Leadership Collaborate deeply with design, merchandising, sourcing, production, and QA teams to ensure technical feasibility and execution integrity. Train and upskill junior engineers, QC teams, and vendor partners on technical developments and standards. Actively contribute to seasonal and long-term product strategy discussions, bringing in a strong technical and consumer lens. Experience & Qualification Bachelor's or Master's degree in Footwear Technology, Industrial Design, Leather Technology, or related field. 7-8 years of strong technical leadership experience in footwear development or R&D - preferably across multiple categories. Demonstrated expertise in: - Last development and foot anatomy - Insole and midsole innovation - Outsole tooling and grip systems - Material and compound development - Wear and field performance analysis,