In short

As the Senior Lead in the innovation development function, you will lead the innovation function with confidence and conviction in all aspects of people, product, and process to deliver industry changing technologies and concepts.

  • You have expert knowledge of the sportswear landscape and beyond including other adjacent sectors
  • You drive complex programs and initiatives with significant impact across the business
  • You collaborate with a wide and deep network of peers, partners and leaders
  • You possess high degree of entrepreneurial mindset and autonomy to make critical decisions
  • You lead with courage and manage a diverse and experienced team of innovators for growth and learning
  • You grow and manage the team’s career paths balancing individual strengths and business needs
  • You scout and identify new capabilities and technologies that will bring consumer benefits

Your Mission

  • Own the strategy for meeting key milestones and delivering program/project results
  • Responsible for the innovation process from ideation through tech transfer
  • Ensure on-time delivery of technologies and concepts to meet the business needs.
  • Anticipates internal/external business headwinds and makes appropriate shifts to minimize impact
  • Deep understanding of sustainability impacts and find holistic solutions to address key issues
  • Drive manufacturing innovation through new frontier and new partner scouting
  • Connect and build strong relationships with key stakeholders to ensure successful tech transfer
  • Ability to manage budgets for large programs understanding key dependencies
  • Live and lead On Culture and Spirits and extend to the team and function
Group of girls smiling
  • Man and woman sat at desks talking
  • Open planned office with men and women sat on a a large curved sofa
  • Group of runners talking outside the office
  • A team of people sat on the steps with a view of mountains outside the office.
  • Two women smiling at each other in a meeting room with large curved windows
  • A group of people sat around a table looking at large design papers
  • 3 men sat around with laptops smiling at each other
  • a large group of runners holding an On flag smiling at the camera
  • Man and woman sat at desks talking
  • Open planned office with men and women sat on a a large curved sofa
  • Group of runners talking outside the office
  • A team of people sat on the steps with a view of mountains outside the office.
  • Two women smiling at each other in a meeting room with large curved windows
  • A group of people sat around a table looking at large design papers
  • 3 men sat around with laptops smiling at each other
  • a large group of runners holding an On flag smiling at the camera
  • Man and woman sat at desks talking
  • Open planned office with men and women sat on a a large curved sofa
  • Group of runners talking outside the office
  • A team of people sat on the steps with a view of mountains outside the office.
  • Two women smiling at each other in a meeting room with large curved windows
  • A group of people sat around a table looking at large design papers
  • 3 men sat around with laptops smiling at each other
  • a large group of runners holding an On flag smiling at the camera

Your story

  • 10+ years in sportswear or closely related industry with emphasis in R&D in Asia and beyond
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, material science, or related discipline
  • High degree of EQ and self-orientation with keen ability to partner with a diverse group of stakeholders
  • Proven track record of successful team/org management promoting trust, growth and advancement
  • Strong ability to navigate a fast-paced, hyper growth, ambiguous environment
  • Strong communication skills (written, verbal, storytelling) for a wide variety of audiences across borders, backgrounds, and cultures
  • Strong influential engagement skills to gain buy-in and remove obstacles
  • Ability to travel up to 30%
Three On colleagues eating lunch together

About the Team

On’s Innovation team is responsible for On’s future innovation, out-of-the-box thinking and the outstanding athlete-informed technology that differentiates On footwear from all other footwear products in the market. If you are interested in being a part of an agile and interdisciplinary team of experts in the area of engineering and sports sciences, come join us!

See more
A woman displaying a shoe to a man
A woman displaying a shoe to a man

Explorer

Explorer

Woman laughing playing ping pong

Exploration – it’s literally our day job. We dive into the ideas of tomorrow head-first and see what we surface with. Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t. But it’s always a rush when we discover something new.

Learn about out Spirits
An image of Dina

Dina

Sports Science Lead, Zurich

We touch every product that's being made because we bring the connection to the human being. So while everyone's excited about products, materials and colors, we go and say, “okay, so what does this actually do for the human?”
Happy women smiling and chatting in the office

What we offer

On is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate. Our distinctive approach combines a supportive, team-oriented atmosphere, with access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being, so each person is led by purpose.

On is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a work environment that is fair and inclusive, where all decisions related to recruitment, advancement, and retention are free of discrimination.

Build the better you

What to expect

We want to set everyone up for success, so here’s the lowdown on how we hire. Our process is a two-way street – bringing you into our culture, while helping us learn how you think.

Our full process can last about eight weeks from application to offer, because we care about getting it right. These steps explain how we usually do things.

Before you get started, feel free to consider if you want to work with us. Strange question? Well, we give people a lot of space to navigate their day-to-day and that style isn't for everyone. We want you to be passionate about what you do and be sure this is the right fit. Because when skills and passion combine – it creates that 'Wow' moment.