Job Title: Senior Lead Materials Development for Lifestyle, Collabs, and Special Projects in Apparel
As the Senior Lead Materials Development for Lifestyle, Collabs, and Special Projects in Apparel, you will be a key driver of material excellence for our diverse apparel offerings. Your expertise will directly influence apparel design, aesthetic, and product quality. You will inspire cross-functional teams with a strategic vision, championing ambitious, sustainable solutions aligned with ON Running's brand identity.
This role requires a proactive and entrepreneurial developer who thrives on challenges and is passionate about material aesthetics, premium quality, and authentic sustainability. You will report to the Head of Apparel Material and collaborate closely with Apparel Design, Product Management, and Development.
Your Mission
- Guide, Curate, and Develop a Premium Material Palette: Ensure development material selection enhances the garment's fit, trims, and finishes, aligning with our design identity as the world’s most premium sports brand and premium quality standards. Continuously feed a pipeline of material concepts for design.
- Manage Concept Stage through Commercialization Handoff: Oversee material development from initial design brief to product commercialization handoff, following timelines and ensuring clear communication with suppliers.
- Drive Sustainability & Implement Innovation: Collaborate with the Head of Apparel Materials and our innovation and sustainability teams to integrate new preferred materials and commercially ready innovations into inline products. Identify and onboard new material partners while liaising with global sourcing to build a robust and relevant supplier network.
- Manage Upfront Material Pricing and Lead Times: Coordinate with suppliers to ensure alignment with project goals and business objectives.
- Act as a Key Partner: Serve as a critical partner to all product creation stakeholders, including Design, Product Management, Development, Testing, and Sales.
Your Story
- Experience: 15-20+ years of distinguished global experience in apparel and material development, with a strong focus on luxury fashion, high-end RTW (Ready-to-Wear), and lifestyle products.
- Technical Expertise: Extensive knowledge of materials and trim, with a specialist background in tailoring, outerwear, and jersey. Deep understanding of natural and synthetic fiber types, along with expertise in sustainability, traceability, and circularity certifications.
- Strategic Vision: Proven eye for high-fashion aesthetics and a deep awareness of industry trends. Ability to act as a strategic consultant to ensure material choices align with premium market positioning and design-led brand identity.
- Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to partner with Creative Directors and executive stakeholders. Ability to translate complex or avant-garde design concepts into dynamic visual material stories understood by Product Marketing.
- Organizational & Operational Skills: Highly attentive to detail and skilled in budget oversight and process optimization. Demonstrated ability to implement systems that improve development lead times and reduce costs in a fast-paced environment.
- Global Exposure & Network: Experience with global material sourcing, with an established network of premium European and global mills, and experience in managing factory relationships throughout the full production cycle.
- Education: Degree in Fashion, Textiles, or a related creative field from a reputable university, providing a strong foundational understanding of garment construction and textile innovation.
- Language Skills: Fluent in English, both written and spoken; additional languages are a plus.
Meet the Team
We’re responsible for creating innovative products for On. We have a vital responsibility to meet the needs and demands of our runners and new customers. Thus, we research, design, develop, and test numerous ideas scientifically and aesthetically. Only products that pass our rigorous testing standards ever go to market.
What We Offer
On is a place centered around growth and progress. We provide an environment designed to equip individuals with tools for holistic development—encouraging activity, learning, exploration, and innovation. Our distinctive approach blends a supportive, team-oriented atmosphere with access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being, ensuring that 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. Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.