Senior Director of Innovation Engineering

Global Sports Jobs Limited; Zürich; On-site; CHF 250,000 - 390,000; Full time

Job summary

On Labs HQ in Zürich, Switzerland seeks an experienced Engineering Leader to oversee and scale the global footwear innovation disciplines, uniting polymer science, materials, and manufacturing technology to deliver consumer-focused performance footwear.

You will drive a multi-year roadmap across four verticals, champion digital twins and FEA, and align with executive leadership to ensure technical feasibility, margin viability, and go-to-market readiness.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience in performance footwear or related high-tech consumer products.
• Deep credibility across polymer chemistry, elastomer compounding, foam processing, and structural mechanics.
• Experience with CAE/FEA, computational geometry, and rapid prototyping in a research-to-commercial context.
• Ability to balance scientific rigour with commercial acumen, IP, and supply chain realities.
• Exceptional storytelling and stakeholder management for executive audiences and cross-functional teams.
• Commitment to building inclusive, high-trust teams and coaching leaders.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute multi-year footwear engineering roadmap across long-range planning and new horizons.
• Lead four technical verticals: polymer science, sports engineering, concept engineering, and CAE/simulation.
• Direct R&D on next-gen foams, elastomers, and circular materials.
• Champion digital twins, FEA, and biomechanical modelling for virtual prototyping.
• Drive exploratory hardware, robotics, and manufacturing automation around Lightspray tech.
• Set manufacturing-ready standards and bridge R&D to factory commercialization.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to align agenda with sport science, strategy, product, and supply chain.
• Translate complex physics into tangible product benefits and brand narratives.
• Mentor senior domain leads and foster rapid experimentation with rigorous root-cause analysis.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Polymer science

Elastomer chemistry

CAE/FEA

Computational geometry

Cross-functional leadership

IP generation

Storytelling to execs

Education

Master's degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Sports Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or related field

Tools

FEA software

CAD

Additive manufacturing

Job description

About the Role

The role leads and scales On’s global innovation engineering disciplines for footwear from On Labs HQ in Zürich, reporting directly to the Sr. Director of Innovation. It holds enterprise accountability for the entire technical innovation portfolio, unifying polymer science, sports, technology, and scale-up engineering into a seamless technical engine. Working alongside the Director of Sports Science and the Director of Innovation Strategy, the position shapes the future of Footwear Innovation at On. It bridges deep scientific discovery with consumer-facing performance storytelling, turning radical concepts into industry-defining footwear products and manufacturing platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and execute the multi-year footwear engineering roadmap across long-range planning and new horizons, aligning technical breakthroughs with On’s growth ambitions.
• Guide and inspire strategic and operational excellence across four specialised technical verticals: polymer science and compound engineering; sports engineering, concept engineering, and CAE/simulation; technology and manufacturing engineering; and innovation development and scale-up engineering.
• Direct the research, formulation, and development of next-generation foams, elastomers, and circular raw materials.
• Champion digital twins, finite element analysis (FEA), and biomechanical modelling to accelerate virtual prototyping and optimise kinetic performance.
• Drive advanced exploratory hardware, computational design algorithms, robotics, and proprietary manufacturing automation centred around On's Lightspray technology.
• Architect the bridge between exploratory R&D and factory commercialisation, establishing design-for-manufacturing (DFM) standards and driving technical readiness.
• Partner closely with the Director of Sports Science and the Director of Innovation Strategy to establish a unified, athlete-validated innovation agenda.
• Translate complex physics, chemistry, and kinetic mechanics into tangible product benefits and compelling brand narratives that resonate with runners and athletes worldwide.
• Co-create strategy with Executive Leadership, Product Management, Design, Sourcing, Sustainability, and Commercial teams to ensure technological feasibility, margin viability, and go-to-market readiness.
• Mentor, coach, and elevate senior domain leads, fostering technical mastery, psychological safety, and leadership succession while nurturing an environment that embraces rapid experimentation, calculated risk-taking, rigorous root-cause analysis, and continuous learning.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience, including substantial experience guiding multi-tiered teams of specialised engineers, scientists, and researchers within performance footwear, sports equipment, advanced materials, or high-tech consumer products.
• Deep technical credibility and fluency across polymer chemistry, elastomer compounding, foam processing technologies, structural mechanics, sports engineering, CAE/FEA simulation environments, computational geometry, additive manufacturing, automated production systems, advanced product development
• Tooling, and industrial scale-up.
• Demonstrated capability to balance deep scientific rigour with commercial acumen, IP generation, unit economics, and operational supply chain realities.
• Exceptional storytelling and stakeholder management capabilities, capable of articulating complex technical concepts with clarity to executive boards, marketing partners, and design teams.
• Passionate about organisational health, team coaching, cross-functional collaboration, and cultivating inclusive, high-trust team dynamics.
• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Sports Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.

Workplace

On Labs HQ in Zürich, Switzerland

About the Company

The team asks daily how it can create a better world, life, and experience for everyone, and operates very much like a research laboratory.