At a Glance
As a Lead Innovation Footwear Developer, you will be a driving force at the forefront of On's product evolution. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, you will lead complex projects, challenge conventions, and champion innovative approaches that define the future of footwear. This role requires mastery of technical complexity, effective management of key stakeholder relationships, and the ability to translate visionary concepts into scalable, performance-driven products.
Your Team
On's Innovation team is an agile, interdisciplinary group of footwear creation, advanced manufacturing, and future sport experts dedicated to driving On's future innovations and athlete-informed technologies that distinguish On footwear from the competition.
We challenge the status quo and push boundaries to pioneer footwear innovation. As a member of the On Innovation Team, you will think outside the box and bring new, innovative ideas to life.
Your Mission
- Lead and own the end-to-end creation of high-impact, innovative product concepts, managing multiple projects independently from initial strategy and conception through to commercialization.
- Leverage your expert knowledge of manufacturing processes, material properties, and biomechanics to troubleshoot significant and unique issues, employing a strong root-cause analysis mindset.
- Act as a key influencer and central communication hub between diverse internal teams and major external T1/T2 partners, managing expectations and communicating confidently with stakeholders at all levels.
- Serve as the guardian for product performance, partnering with the testing team to translate consumer and athlete feedback into tangible design iterations.
- Critically assess and validate last shapes with last engineers to perfect fit and performance, collaborating with computational designers on upper patterns and construction adjustments.
- Document complex tooling and upper-related issues, defining and communicating clear corrective actions to all stakeholders while creating and managing comprehensive tech packs, specification sheets, and BOMs.
- Act as a leader within the team, determining methods and procedures for new assignments and possibly supervising the activities of other team members.
Your Story
- 8+ years of progressive experience in footwear development, with a significant focus on innovation and bringing new technologies to market.
- Bachelor’s or Master's Degree in Engineering, Material Science, or another relevant technical field.
- Expert-level knowledge of advanced footwear manufacturing processes, including tooling, molding, injecting, welding, lasting, and assembly.
- A strong technical curiosity with a robust root-cause analysis approach to problem-solving.
- In-depth knowledge of advanced footwear materials, their properties, and performance characteristics, along with experience in advanced testing and analysis.
- Proven ability to lead the scaling of new technologies and assess their commercial viability and factory readiness.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with the ability to confidently present and defend concepts to senior management and external partners.
- A demonstrated ability to work autonomously, navigating ambiguity and making independent judgments on complex issues.
- Experience in mentoring junior team members or supervising project activities is a strong plus.
- Comfortable and proficient with industrial machinery and hands-on prototyping.
- Ability to travel up to 10-15% of the time.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.