Job Title: Director of Global Apparel & Accessories Merchandising
As the Director of Global Apparel & Accessories Merchandising, you will guide the global direction of On’s Apparel and Accessories business, holding end-to-end accountability for the development, scaling, and commercialization of our product line across various regions and channels. Your primary aim will be to drive scalable commercial growth in Apparel and Accessories while establishing On’s premium activewear positioning in the marketplace.
This role sits at the intersection of Product Strategy, Commercial, and Regional & Channel Merchandising. You will engage with strong global leadership intent and a highly collaborative mindset, empowering regions to execute swiftly and relevantly within evolving global frameworks. As Apparel becomes an increasingly vital growth pillar for On, your focus will be on building and scaling this 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, collaborating closely with Regional Merchandising to balance global consistency with regional relevance.
- Act as the commercial voice upstream, influencing Product Strategy and Product Creation based on consumer insights, market understanding, and commercial performance.
- Shape and continually refine the global merchandising operating model, clarifying collaboration 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, ensuring price integrity while optimizing full-price sell-through.
- Utilize 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 expand.
- 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, enhancing standards in strategic thinking, commercial rigor, and decision-making.
- Develop team capabilities and leadership depth as the Apparel and Accessories business grows in size and complexity within On.
Your Story
- 10+ years of merchandising experience, with a strong track record in premium activewear and/or high-performance apparel environments.
- Proven ability to operate at scale within brands known for balancing 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, establishing clear direction while collaborating effectively with regional teams.
- Strong commercial judgment, confident in making trade-offs and decisions with incomplete information.
- Deep understanding of retail math and KPIs across retail, eCommerce, and wholesale channels.
- Experienced people leader passionate about developing talent and elevating standards.
- Strong taste level and understanding of Visual Merchandising, enabling the creation of inspiring and commercial assortments.
- Strategic thinker 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.
Meet the Team
As you might expect from one of the fastest-growing sportswear brands, the Commercial team at On is a dynamic and ambitious environment. The team combines entrepreneurial energy with increasing scale and complexity, requiring leaders who can both build and refine systems while keeping the consumer at the center. Together, we strive to ignite the human spirit through movement.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.