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Specialist - Footwear Testing - Performance
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 Specialist, you will be responsible for the validation of products coming to market. You will be given high levels of responsibility, and work in a collaborative environment where we make ideas happen fast. You will be a key partner across Running & Performance projects acting as a consultant to departments such as design, development and materials to guarantee product excellence. This role will be based in our Testing Department in Zürich.
Your Mission
- Define & execute rigorous testing strategies across durability, fit, comfort and performance across all test levels.
- Setting up processes to ensure efficient testing cycles and timely feedback loops aligned with the project calendar. You will work closely with our Sports - Science and Lab teams to define full 360 testing protocols.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders to identify testing requirements based on product briefs and target consumers.
- Analyse fit, durability and performance data to develop reports allowing valuable insights and suggestions to project stakeholders.
- Lead qualitative and quantitative footwear testing, perception studies, and real-world validation to ensure products reflect authentic athlete and consumer needs.
- Provide corrective action plans upon test fails in alignment with cross-functional teams such as Materials, Product Management, Development & Design.
- Ensure that product verification and judgement calls meet On global standards and are done based on the fit, comfort, performance and quality criteria.
- Build and maintain a tester network fulfilling the requirements of the Product Creation calendars.
- Set up events to drive engagement in the testing community.
- Contribute to team goals and process improvements within testing.
- Work with Testing Lead to build sustainable relationships with various institutions for test purposes
- Support Testing Lead with cross-functional projects within the Organisation
- Work with our Testing systems and databases to manage changes in data, ensure accurate high quality data and an optimised flow into testing reports.
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Your story
- 2-3+ years of experience in a field focused on the human experience with a product or service. We’re excited to hear from candidates with experience in diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to: Footwear/Sportswear Testing or Development Footwear/Sportswear retail experience Biomechanics or Kinesiology User experience (UX) research
- Knowledge and passion for performance sports
- Solid capability in handling and visualizing large datasets using advanced data analysis tools to efficiently clean, process, and present complex testing results.
- Excellent communication & presentation skills.
- Proven ability to work well within a team and cross-functionally.
- A can-do attitude, able to work with a high degree of flexibility and outside of typical working hours when necessary.
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint.
- Vested interest in the footwear industry and testing
- Detail-oriented, creative, and solutions-focused, with a proactive mindset and a strong passion for performance footwear.
- Open to occasional global travel to connect, facilitate and test directly with our target consumers in key markets.
- A confident “people person”, adapt at building and maintaining relationships.
- Fluent or very good in English (written and spoken).
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.
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.