On Senior Lead - Innovation Footwear Developer

On; Zürich; On-site; CHF 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

On is seeking an experienced senior technical contributor based in Zürich to turn breakthrough footwear technologies into validated, inline-ready solutions. You will lead complex technical work streams across Innovation Development, Product Creation, Sourcing and Supply partners, from feasibility to inline transfer into manufacturing.

You will drive hypotheses-tested prototypes, manage risk, and ensure clean technology transfer while aligning global teams across regions and time zones.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in sports footwear, innovation development, or R&D.
• Engineering or related degree.
• Deep technical capability across footwear disciplines.
• Proven record moving tech from prototype to production.
• Experience with Tier 1/2 Asian footwear partners.
• Fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead assigned innovation-development work streams translating needs into technical requirements, plans and milestones.
• Challenge conventional footwear construction through first-principles thinking and disciplined experimentation.
• Validate and industrialize new technologies.
• Lead prototypes and test-and-learn cycles across materials, tooling and manufacturing tech.
• Resolve technical risks using root-cause analysis and data-backed decisions.
• Define evidence for technology-readiness gates and transfer packages.

Skills

Footwear innovation

Technical leadership

Structured problem solving

Root cause analysis

Communication

Influence without authority

Education

Engineering degree

Materials science

Product development

Job description

In Short

At On, Innovation is not complete when the prototype works. It's complete when athlete value is proven, the technology is understood, and our creation and manufacturing partners can reproduce it with precision. As a senior individual contributor based in Zürich, you will turn breakthrough footwear technologies into validated, inline-ready solutions. Working across Innovation Development, Product Creation, Sourcing and our Supply partners, you will lead complex technical work streams from feasibility and prototyping through validation, industrialization and clean transfer into inline creation and manufacturing. You will lead through technical credibility, structured problem-solving and influence - bringing Swiss Engineering precision closer to our manufacturing ecosystem.

Your Mission

• Lead assigned innovation-development work streams, translating athlete needs, product intent and technology direction into clear technical requirements, experiment plans, success criteria and milestones.
• Challenge conventional footwear construction and manufacturing through first-principles thinking, curiosity and disciplined experimentation.
• Validate and industrialize new technologies.
• Lead hypothesis-driven prototypes, trials and test-and-learn cycles across materials, construction, tooling, process and manufacturing technology.
• Resolve technical risks across performance, fit, quality, durability, manufacturability, automation and repeatability using structured root-cause analysis and data-backed decisions.
• Define and present the evidence required at agreed technology-readiness gates, making risks, assumptions and decisions visible.
• Deliver clean technology transfer
• Partner with Vietnam Innovation Development and inline Creation to define the use purpose, timing, receiving team and readiness expectations for every assigned technology.
• Build complete transfer packages covering specifications, CAD, BOM, process windows, methods, SOPs, test evidence, quality controls, capability and machinery needs, training requirements and known risks.
• Support receiving teams and manufacturing partners through ramp-up, maintaining a closed feedback loop until the technology is stable, repeatable and ready to scale.
• Maintain decisions, evidence and technical artefacts in digital format as the single source of truth.
• Activate the partner ecosystem
• Work directly with Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners to assess technical capability, co-develop solutions and define the investment, confidentiality and intellectual-property conditions required for success.
• Partner closely with Sourcing: this role leads technical feasibility and validation, while Sourcing leads supplier, commercial, capacity and supply-readiness decisions.
• Surface relevant emerging capabilities across the Asian manufacturing ecosystem and connect them to agreed innovation priorities.
• Lead through influence and raise capability
• Connect Innovation, Development, Engineering, Materials, Testing, Sourcing and manufacturing partners around one technical plan and clear decision ownership.
• Coach project teams and partners, share technical knowledge and improve working methods without formal people-management responsibility.
• Build a culture of low ego, high agency, psychological safety, experimentation and accountability - with sustainability, durability and material or process efficiency embedded in technical decisions.

Your Story

• 10+ years of experience in sports footwear, innovation development, R&D, engineering or a closely related field.
• A degree in engineering, materials science, product development or a related discipline, or equivalent
• You are a deeply technical innovation developer who is as comfortable at the factory floor as you are aligning a global project team. You combine curiosity and bold thinking with the discipline to turn ambiguity into evidence, decisions and repeatable execution.
• Deep expertise in at least one footwear technical discipline, with strong working fluency across product development, materials, upper or bottom-unit engineering, tooling and manufacturing processes.
• A proven record of moving technologies from early prototypes through validation, industrialization and repeatable production.
• Strong experience working directly with Tier 1 and Tier 2 partners within the Asian footwear manufacturing ecosystem.
• Practical capability in experimental design, structured problem-solving, root-cause analysis, risk management and interpretation of test or manufacturing data.
• The independence and judgement to lead complex technical work streams while knowing when to align, challenge or escalation.
• A proven ability to influence without formal authority and align teams across regions, cultures, disciplines and time zones.
• Clear, influential communication, with the ability to translate technical complexity into decisions, actions and compelling product or technology narratives.
• A strong understanding of supplier capability, confidentiality, intellectual property and the conditions required to scale innovation responsibly.
• A degree in engineering, materials science, product development or a related discipline, or equivalent depth of relevant industry experience.
• Fluent in English both written and spoken.

Your Team

You will be part of Footwear Innovation Development, a connected global team spanning Zurich and Vietnam. Zurich brings athlete-led product intent and technology direction; Vietnam provides technical development, validation and industrialization; Sourcing leads commercial and operational readiness; and our manufacturing partners prove repeatability and scale. Together, we turn proprietary ideas into premium performance footwear built with precision, quality, craft and care.