Nike has long been a fortress when it comes to salary transparency, but new publicly available work visa data is revealing exactly what the sportswear giant pays its employees across tech, design, and marketing roles—and the numbers reveal a story about where the company is placing its biggest bets during CEO Elliott Hill's ambitious turnaround.​

The Numbers Behind the Swoosh

Data disclosed to the US Department of Labor show that Nike employees earn an average of $188,000 annually, with compensation packages ranging from $152,000 to $492,000 for top-tier positions. Software engineers are among Nike's most competitive hires, with entry-level positions starting at $120,000 and senior directors commanding more than $301,000. The crown jewel? A Vice President of Global Brand Marketing for Women's pulls in $425,000—a figure that underscores Nike's strategic focus on female consumers and its new NikeSKIMS athleisure collaboration.

These figures emerge as Hill, who rejoined Nike in October 2024, works to realign the company around five core areas: culture, product, marketing, marketplace, and grassroots consumer connection. With 755 open positions worldwide as of mid-February and concurrent layoffs of 775 distribution center employees due to automation, Nike is clearly shifting investment from traditional logistics to innovation-driven roles.​

Transparency as Strategy

The salary reveal comes amid legal battles over pay equity that have shaped Nike's relationship with transparency. In 2022, a federal judge ordered Nike to release compensation data in a gender discrimination lawsuit, rejecting the company's argument that disclosure would give competitors insight into its pay practices. US Magistrate Judge Jolie A. Russo wrote that "Nike's proffered reasons to seal are neither compelling nor, on balance, outweigh the public interest in disclosure," noting that allegations of pay inequity represent "a matter of public import".​

That ruling also forced Nike to disclose that it had started but never completed a 2018 internal pay equity study—a revelation that underscored systemic issues within the organization. The lawsuit, filed in 2018 following explosive reports about a "boys-club culture" at Nike, alleged women were systematically "devalued and demeaned".

What It Means for Corporate America

Nike's compensation data offers a window into how legacy brands must compete for talent in an increasingly tech-driven marketplace. Design roles show significant variation—from materials designers earning $100,000 to directors of apparel design commanding $244,000—reflecting the premium Nike places on creative leadership. Data engineering and AI-focused positions, including a Director of Supply Chain AI/ML Engineering earning $252,535, signal the company's bet on automation and predictive analytics.​

Hill's realignment strategy appears designed to sharpen Nike's competitive edge in core sports categories like running and basketball while expanding reach through brand collaborations. Whether these investments translate into market dominance remains to be seen, but the salary data makes one thing clear: Nike is willing to pay top dollar for the talent it believes will drive its comeback story.​