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Senior Specialist - Color Designer Performance Footwear
Location: Zurich
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In short
Color has the power to shape our thoughts, moods, and emotions, influencing us both physiologically and psychologically. As a Senior Color Designer for Performance at On, you play a pivotal role in redefining the brand's identity through a disruptive, top-of-the-line color strategy. This is not a role for someone who just "colors within the lines"—we are looking for a visionary who creates the color blocking that completely changes product architecture and shifts how the brand reads on the track, road, and court. You will craft compelling, elite color stories that resonate with high-performance athletes, align with brand values, and drive the future of our fast-paced performance categories.
Your Mission
- Disruptive Color Blocking & Creation: Lead the creation of innovative color blocking strategies that alter product perception, maximize visual impact, and redefine how performance products read on and off the road, track, and court.
- Elite Performance Contextualization: Strategize and execute consumer-focused color work specifically tailored to the elite performance world.
- Independent Project Management: Act as an autonomous force, efficiently managing workloads through a rapid, fast-paced environment.
- Out-of-the-Box Narrative Building: Develop highly creative narratives that push boundaries while maintaining a connection to the overarching CD color umbrella, utilizing advanced renders and dynamic visual communication to bring these concepts to life.
- Cross-Functional Synergy (Apparel HT2): Deeply collaborate with the Apparel Color Design team to constantly check, co-create, and lock in Head-to-Toe (HT2) integration for our elite performance gear, ensuring a unified brand statement.
- Cross-Functional Influence (Inline Footwear): Act as the "lightning strike" for the Inline Performance Footwear team; be highly proactive and vocal in sharing these collaborative insights and elite concepts, ensuring the energy successfully trickles down to influence and shape the commercial footwear area.
- Digital & Physical Execution: High-level execution of color CADs, PLM data management, and the continuous building of a cutting-edge digital and physical inspiration library rooted in contemporary art, culture, and sports fashion.
- Strategic Stakeholder Presentation: Present complex color proposals, concepts, and emotional narratives with high-fidelity renders and clear visual communication to gain immediate buy-in from internal leadership and external partners.
Image gallery
Your story
- Bachelor's degree in Industrial Design, Color Sciences, Graphic Design, Fine Arts, or a related field.
- 5+ years of experience in the footwear industry, with a proven track record specifically within high-performance footwear.
- A portfolio that demonstrates "out-of-the-box" thinking, complex color-blocking expertise, and an innate understanding of how color interacts with movement.
- Demonstrated ability to work completely independently, self-manage stress, and make critical design decisions under tight deadlines.
- Deep technical knowledge of color processes across technical, performance-driven materials.
- Proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and 3D visualization programs.
- Fluent in English (written and spoken); any additional languages are a plus.
About the Team
Our Color Team plays a pivotal role in shaping the visual identity and aesthetic appeal of our products across all categories. Comprising talented professionals with diverse backgrounds, our team collaborates seamlessly to deliver innovative and trend-setting designs that resonate with our consumers and elevate our brand presence in the market. In essence, our Color Team serves as the creative powerhouse pulling together past, present, and future perspectives to drive the visual experience of our products. Through a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach, we craft compelling color design solutions that captivate consumers, differentiate our brand, and inspire lasting connections in the competitive marketplace.
About the Team video
Ernest
Footwear Development, Ho Chi Minh City
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.