Job Opportunity: Director of Global Apparel & Accessories Merchandising
As the Director of Global Apparel & Accessories Merchandising, you will define the global direction for On’s Apparel and Accessories division. You will hold end-to-end accountability for how the product line is developed and expanded, while also determining how assortments are tailored and commercialized across various regions and channels. Your primary objective is to foster scalable commercial growth in Apparel and Accessories while establishing On's premium activewear positioning in the marketplace.
This pivotal role intersects Product Strategy, Commercial Operations, and Regional & Channel Merchandising. You will collaborate with global leadership and operate with a highly cooperative mindset, empowering regions to execute swiftly and meaningfully within an evolving global framework. As Apparel increasingly becomes a critical growth pillar for On, your focus will be on building and scaling this category with clarity, discipline, and a strong consumer impact.
Your Mission
1. Global Strategy, Assortment Ownership & Operating Model
- Define and evolve the global Apparel and Accessories Merchandising strategy and line architecture, focusing on channel roles, tiering, pricing logic, and seasonal depth.
- Lead and execute global merchandising strategies aligned with On’s growth aspirations and long-term brand objectives.
- Oversee global assortment direction in collaboration with Regional Merchandising, ensuring a balance between global consistency and regional relevance.
- Serve as the commercial voice upstream, influencing Product Strategy and Product Creation through insights rooted in consumer understanding, market analysis, and commercial performance.
- Continuously refine the global merchandising operating model, clarifying collaboration across Product, Commercial, and Regional teams as the business scales.
2. Commercial & Financial Leadership
- Lead global merchandise financial planning with the Planning and Finance teams, driving SKU productivity, inventory efficiency, and profitable growth.
- Manage the global pricing architecture for Apparel and Accessories, ensuring price integrity while optimizing full-price sell-through.
- Leverage consumer, market, and performance data to guide both short-term actions and long-term category strategies, balancing intuition with analytical rigor.
- Challenge complexity and maintain focus as assortments and the organization expand.
3. Collaboration, Leadership & Capability Building
- Work 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 mentor the global merchandising organization, elevating standards in strategic thinking, commercial acumen, and decision-making.
- Develop team capabilities and bolster leadership depth as the Apparel and Accessories business becomes a more substantial and complex part of On.
Your Story
- Over 10 years of merchandising experience, with a proven track record in premium activewear and highly elevated performance apparel environments.
- Demonstrated ability to operate at scale within brands recognized for their blend of desirability, performance credibility, and commercial discipline.
- Extensive international experience across regions such as EMEA, North America, and Asia-Pacific, with a comprehensive understanding of regional consumer and channel dynamics.
- Ability to own and drive global assortment decisions, providing clear direction while collaborating effectively with regional teams.
- Strong commercial judgment and the confidence to make trade-offs and decisions with limited information.
- In-depth understanding of retail mathematics and KPIs across retail, eCommerce, and wholesale channels.
- An experienced leader with a passion for developing talent and enhancing standards rather than restructuring teams.
- Strong taste level and understanding of Visual Merchandising, facilitating the creation of inspiring and commercially viable assortments.
- A strategic thinker who can work independently, set objectives, and drive initiatives from strategy to execution.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and align diverse internal and external stakeholders.
- Business fluency in English; proficiency in additional languages is a plus.
Join Our Team
As one of the fastest-growing sportswear brands, our Commercial team at On is a dynamic and ambitious environment. The team combines entrepreneurial energy with increasing scale and complexity, necessitating leaders who can both build and refine systems while keeping the consumer at the forefront. 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.