Just my advice for you younger, ambitious people: Nike will not grow for the foreseeable future. Without growth, the company will not create new jobs, which significantly limits promotion opportunities. If advancing your career is a priority, Nike might not be the best place for you.
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It takes a ton of effort and talent to really push something innovative and brand worthy in this industry.
Now think about where the scientists who made the vaporfly 4% marathon shoe and luna phantom soccer boot are. Groundbreaking new product that revolutionized the industry.
Nike doesn’t care about true talent. It is threatened and afraid of it.
That’s part of the story OP. It took me a decade to learn that at Nike merit and talent alone won’t advance your career. If the right people aren't advocating for you or the right people don’t like or notice you, your career isn’t going anywhere and your efforts are wasted. I’ve seen it happen to more people than I can count. There’s a lot of opportunity out there for talented people but sometimes you have to leave the Swoosh to find it.
Nike is hiring all over the place right now
Nike will never care about your career. If they did, promoting in role would be part of the culture. Instead, you get rated in your role for the only purpose of …. Nothing. It’s only so HR can beat lawsuits from people.
The only way to progress your career is to apply for new jobs. Then you’re up against a) impacted market b) did you market yourself to the hiring manager well so that when they decide who gets the job - you are the person they want.
So no. Nike won’t provide opportunities to advance your career the way many others do via promotion
Nike is not for the motivated, people with marketable skills or any drive to see output from their effort. If you want to collect a good paycheck, are indifferent to the decisions of id--ts you could be happy here. If you want to advance you have to be an exceptional brown noser, bang a VP or marry into the long list of nepo bloodlines.
There’s opportunity in chaos.
Plenty of departments with turnover approaching or exceeding 100%. In all role levels. Nepo hires get warned away from those “opportunities” too.
But you have to ask yourself if you want to be the lucky dog that manages to bite the moving car.
Nike is a toxic place. Even when there is career growth opportunities, those whose spouse works at Nike or those who are friends with a Sr Dir in that department, get the job without any real qualifications.
That being said, if you are locked in PDX and that you are looking for a pay without much effort, Yes Nike is a good place. Bonus point if you have a thick skin and you could be indifferent to bad decisions you see from your managers.
If you are a high performer, like career growth, like to make high impact, etc then you would be terribly frustrated at Nike.
Counter point. If you want nice work life balance + a high salary(for PDX) and don’t care too much about making an impact it’s a great place to chill out for 5 or so years.