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Director of Global Apparel & Accessories Merchandising
Location: Zurich
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As Director of Global Apparel & Accessories Merchandising, you set the global direction for On’s Apparel and Accessories business, carrying end-to-end accountability for how the line is built and scaled and how assortments are segmented and commercialized across regions and channels. Your mandate is to drive scalable commercial growth in Apparel and Accessories, while helping to establish On’s premium activewear positioning in the market.
This role operates at the intersection of Product Strategy, Commercial, and Regional & Channel Merchandising. You work with strong global leadership intent and a highly collaborative mindset, enabling regions to execute with speed and relevance within evolving global frameworks. As Apparel becomes an increasingly critical growth pillar for On, your focus is on building and scaling the category with clarity, discipline, and consumer impact.
Your Mission
- Global strategy, assortment ownership & operating model
- Define and evolve the global Apparel and Accessories Merchandising strategy and line architecture, including channel roles, tiering, pricing logic, and seasonal depth.
- Lead and execute global merchandising strategies across DTC and Wholesale, aligned with On’s growth ambitions and long-term brand objectives.
- Own global assortment direction, working in close partnership with Regional Merchandising to balance global consistency with regional relevance.
- Act as the commercial voice upstream, influencing Product Strategy and Product Creation with inputs grounded in consumer insight, market understanding, and commercial performance.
- Shape and continuously refine the global merchandising operating model, clarifying ways of working across Product, Commercial, and Regional teams as the business scales.
- Commercial & financial leadership
- Lead global merchandise financial planning in partnership with Planning and Finance, driving SKU productivity, inventory efficiency, and profitable growth.
- Own the global pricing architecture for Apparel and Accessories, supporting price integrity while optimizing full-price sell-through.
- Use consumer, market, and performance data to inform short-term actions and long-term category strategies, balancing intuition with analytical rigor.
- Continuously challenge complexity and drive focus as assortments and the organization grow.
- Collaboration, leadership & capability building
- Partner closely with Regional Merchandising teams to translate global strategies into locally relevant assortments, while maintaining alignment on global priorities.
- Collaborate with Marketing, Creative, and Visual Merchandising to ensure cohesive seasonal storytelling and impactful execution across all consumer touchpoints.
- Build, lead, and upskill the global merchandising organization, raising standards in strategic thinking, commercial rigor, and taste-level decision-making.
- Develop team capabilities and leadership depth as the Apparel and Accessories business becomes a larger and more complex part of On.
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Your story
- 10+ years of merchandising experience, with a strong track record in premium activewear and/or highly elevated performance apparel environments.
- Proven experience operating at scale within brands known for balancing brand desirability, performance credibility, and commercial discipline.
- Extensive international experience across regions such as EMEA, North America, and Asia-Pacific, with a deep understanding of regional consumer and channel differences.
- Demonstrated ability to own and drive global assortment decisions, setting clear direction while collaborating effectively with regional teams.
- Strong commercial judgment, with the confidence to make trade-offs and decisions with incomplete information.
- Deep understanding of retail math and KPIs across own retail, eCommerce, and wholesale channels.
- Experienced people leader with a passion for developing talent and elevating standards rather than - rebuilding teams.
- Strong taste level and understanding of Visual Merchandising, enabling the creation of inspiring and commercial assortments.
- Strategic thinker who is comfortable working independently, setting direction, and driving concepts from strategy to execution.
- Excellent communicator and presenter, able to influence and align diverse internal and external stakeholders.
- Business fluency in English; additional languages are a plus.
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.
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.