Lead Footwear Developer (Performance Trail) / Lead Footwear Developeress (Performance Trail)

Job Opportunity: Lead Footwear Developer for Performance Trail

As a Lead Footwear Developer for Performance Trail, you will take charge of the technical realization and process management of On’s most rugged off-road products. You will oversee the entire development lifecycle—from initial concept to production and commercialization—acting as a thought leader who ensures that every innovation is grounded in technical reality. This role is ideal for a developer who embodies the athlete spirit, possessing a deep curiosity to engineer industry-leading products for the most demanding environments.

Your Mission

• Process & Timeline Ownership: Own and represent the product development process for the Performance Trail category, ensuring that all critical dates and calendar milestones are met through timely production.
• Technical Stewardship: Act as the technical advisor during briefing and design phases to ensure that complex trail concepts align with performance metrics and global manufacturing capabilities.
• Communication Hub: Facilitate technical alignment between Zurich-based teams and Asia-based sourcing partners, serving as a "technical translator" to maintain the performance integrity of the trail category.
• Material & Tooling Expertise: Provide expert recommendations on specialized trail materials, high-traction compounds, and technical tooling to balance functional requirements with pricing targets.
• Validation & Insight: Collaborate closely with the testing team and biomechanics experts to validate prototypes, utilizing an athlete and consumer insight mindset to address complex off-road challenges.
• Cost & Efficiency Management: Monitor product costs and identify opportunities for construction efficiencies without compromising the technical essence of the trail product.
• Innovation Commercialization: Work closely with the innovation team to successfully launch new trail-specific technologies and breakthroughs in "Swiss Engineering" into the market.

Your Story

• Experience: 6+ years in the footwear industry, with a background rooted in high-performance running/trail and technical outdoor complexities.
• Trail Thought Leadership: Recognized for your extensive knowledge of the trail running industry and your ability to transform athlete needs into innovative technical solutions.
• Advanced Development Expertise: Proven knowledge of the end-to-end product development process, including prototyping and sampling management.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to connect, lead, and influence diverse teams—including design, product marketing, and innovation—across various geographical locations.
• Strategic Judgment: Highly skilled in evaluating technical trade-offs to balance cutting-edge innovation with commercial scalability.
• The Athlete Spirit: You have a genuine passion for the trails and a relentless drive to build the best-fitting, performing, and desirable trail products on the market.

Apply online using the form below. Please note that only applications matching the job profile will be considered.