Senior Lead - Visual Merchandising, DTC

Location: Zurich

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Marketing

In short

We’re looking for a strategic, creatively ambitious Senior Lead of Visual Merchandising to own and evolve On’s global DTC retail experience. Reporting to the Director of Creative Studio, you will bridge the gap between brand storytelling and commercial reality, ensuring our premium standards are scaled flawlessly across all On-owned stores. You’ll lead a global strategy that translates product stories into compelling physical environments while driving innovation in retail tools and training. You bring a dedication to data-powered layouts, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a deep understanding of how to balance high-tier aesthetics with global operational excellence.

Your Mission

Global DTC Strategy: Own and evolve the global visual merchandising strategy across all On-owned stores, translating brand, campaign, and product stories into clear, compelling in-store experiences.
Guidelines & Standards: Develop, update, and roll out scalable VM standards and seasonal toolkits for all regions to ensure consistent application across diverse markets.
Retail Innovation: Act as the key VM stakeholder in developing new retail tools and environments, ensuring they support execution quality and commercial performance.
Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner closely with Retail Marketing, Product, Campaigns, and Retail Operations to align storytelling with store flow and commercial objectives.
Execution Excellence: Lead and develop a team of DTC visual merchandisers, upholding high standards through training, field support, and audits while enabling regional autonomy. -Seasonal Storytelling: Lead seasonal floorsets, windows, and product zoning across footwear, apparel, and accessories for all store formats.
Training & Capability: Drive the global VM training strategy, creating structured learning pathways to build long-term VM capability at all levels.
Data-Led Optimization: Drive commercial performance by using sell-through, traffic, and conversion data to continuously refine layouts and zoning.

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Your story

Experienced Leader: You have extensive experience leading Visual Merchandising at a global or regional level, preferably within premium sports, fashion, or lifestyle retail.
Strategic & Creative: You possess a rare mix of "big picture" strategic thinking and an obsessed-with-detail creative eye for premium execution.
Commercial Mindset: You are comfortable using data and performance insights (conversion, sell-through) to make informed decisions about store layouts and zoning.
Collaborative Influencer: You excel at navigating complex, cross-functional environments and can partner effectively with global and regional peers to deliver a cohesive brand vision.
People Developer: You are a coach at heart, with a proven track record of leading and developing high-performing VM teams.
Operational Excellence: You understand how to build practical, scalable tools and guidelines that work "on the ground" in a fast-paced retail environment.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: You thrive in a dynamic environment and have a well-honed instinct for the future of retail and "what's next" in consumer experiences.

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About the Team

The On Creative Studio is the heartbeat of the brand — a global collective of thinkers, makers, and dreamers redefining performance for a new era.You’ll be part of the Brand Voice team, responsible for shaping how the On brand sounds, looks, feels and evolves globally. We work across product storytelling, retail and brand moments - from defining creative foundations to delivering best-in-class guidelines.

This role plays a critical connective function within the team, ensuring that creative work across categories and channels is anchored in a shared, elevated brand vision.

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Ann

Senior Director of Brand Studio

I think something that unites people here is the pace and the drive. The ambition is quite high in everything we do and when you bring these people together, you see the outcome can be multiplied. It's super impressive to see what happens when you put these creative teams together who really help each other grow.

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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.