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Senior Lead - Footwear Testing

Location: Zurich

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In short

Product Testing is the voice of the athlete and the consumer at On. We’re responsible for ensuring every On product meets the highest quality standards and delivers a premium, high-performance experience by combining scientific rigor with real-world insight. Through rigorous testing and validation, only products that truly perform make it to market.

As a Footwear Testing Senior Lead you will be responsible for validating footwear products from development through to market and driving excellence and leading the team in the Running category. You’ll work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and act as a key partner across Design, Development, Materials, Product Strategy and Sports Science to ensure excellence in fit, comfort, durability, and performance.

Your Mission

  • Lead a high-performing team of Specialists, fostering a culture of growth and exploration while elevating existing, successful workflows.

  • Serve as a senior point of contact for internal stakeholders in the Run category, providing guidance and alignment on testing projects.

  • Collaborate closely with key stakeholders to identify testing requirements based on product briefs and target consumers, owning end to end processes for assigned projects

  • Define and execute rigorous testing strategies across durability, fit, comfort, and performance, taking charge of high-complexity testing programs.

  • Lead qualitative and quantitative footwear testing, perception studies, and real-world validation to ensure products reflect authentic athlete and consumer needs.

  • Build and maintain strategic partnerships to integrate consumer insights, scientific expertise, and performance analysis into standardized, evidence-based product evaluations.

  • Translate complex testing data into powerful insights and clear reports that enable confident decision-making and elevate product excellence across the organization.

  • Ensure testing timelines are efficient and seamlessly integrated into the fast-moving Product Creation calendars.

  • Expand and cultivate a diverse tester network to support project timelines and enhance community engagement.

  • Work seamlessly with testing systems and databases to ensure accurate & high-quality data integrity.

  • As a leader you will significantly contribute to team goals and process improvements.

Two women in athletic clothing sit on a bench with takeaway coffee cups, smiling and chatting after a workout.

    Your story

    • 8+ years of experience in footwear testing or a closely related role within the footwear industry

    • A strong passion for run culture and performance running footwear.

    • Proven leadership experience, with a passion for building high-performance teams

    • Ability to influence cross-functional team effectiveness through partnership & advisory

    • Excellent communication skills and confidence in working with cross-functional stakeholders.

    • A detail-oriented, creative, and solutions-focused mindset.

    • Flexibility to work outside standard hours when necessary.

    • Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint & capable of adapting to internal databases

    • Analysis expertise with complex data and analysis methods

    • Fluent in English (written and spoken).

    Two women in activewear run outdoors, smiling, surrounded by greenery and other runners.

    About the Team

    We’re a team responsible for making sure that the products for On represent the highest quality & performance standards. We have a lot of responsibility to meet the needs and demands of our customers. So we analyse, test and validate our products in the most comprehensive manner. Only products that pass our rigorous tests ever go to market.

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    Ernest

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    Unlike other brands, we aren't just executioners out here in Vietnam, we give ideas as well. Sometimes they have a new idea in Zurich and we might find a process to make it more efficient and we share that.
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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.