Senior Director of Innovation Engineering

On; Zürich; On-site; CHF 230,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

On is seeking a Senior Director of Innovation Engineering to lead and scale global footwear engineering disciplines from its Labs HQ in Zürich, Switzerland. This role unifies polymer science, sports technology, and scale-up engineering into a cohesive technical engine guiding the entire innovation portfolio.

You will shape the engineering vision, cultivate cross-disciplinary excellence, and drive platforms from concept to commercial readiness, partnering with senior leaders to align with On’s

Qualifications

• Proven executive engineering leadership experience in footwear, sports equipment, or high-tech consumer products.
• Broad technical fluency across polymer chemistry, elastomer compounding, foam processing, structural mechanics and CAE/FEA.
• Holistic systems and business mindset balancing science, IP, unit economics, and supply chain realities.
• Strong storytelling and stakeholder management to connect technical concepts with executives and partners.
• Empowering leadership driving inclusive, high-trust teams with rapid experimentation and learning.
• Education: Master’s or PhD in related engineering fields.

Responsibilities

• Set engineering vision and drive multi-year roadmap for footwear innovation.
• Oversee four technical pillars: Polymer Science, Sports Engineering, Technology & Manufacturing, Scale-Up Engineering.
• Lead enterprise strategy with leadership to align innovations with business goals.
• Translate physics and chemistry into tangible product benefits and brand narratives.
• Co-create strategy with executives across product, design, sourcing and sustainability.
• Develop a culture of technical excellence, mentorship, and continuous learning.

Skills

Executive leadership

Polymer science

CAE/FEA simulation

Sports engineering

Materials science

Scale-up engineering

Education

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

Job description

In Short

At On, incredible things happen when ideas are backed by science, bold exploration, and uncompromising engineering.

In Short

At On, incredible things happen when ideas are backed by science, bold exploration, and uncompromising engineering.

The Senior Director of Innovation Engineering leads and scales On’s global innovation engineering disciplines for footwear from our On Labs HQ in Zürich, Switzerland. Reporting directly to the Sr. Director of Innovation, this role 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 leadership partners, including the Director of Sports Science and the Director of Innovation Strategy, this position shapes the future of Footwear Innovation at On. Bringing world‑class leadership and strategic systems thinking, the Senior Director bridges deep scientific discovery with consumer‑facing performance storytelling, turning radical concepts into industry‑defining footwear products and manufacturing platforms.

Your Mission

As the technical anchor for Footwear Innovation, you will set the engineering vision, cultivate multi‑disciplinary technical excellence, and drive breakthrough platforms from initial concept to commercial readiness.

• Executive Engineering & Technical Portfolio Leadership: Define and execute the multi‑year footwear engineering roadmap across long‑range planning and new horizons, aligning technical breakthroughs with On’s growth ambitions.
• Oversee Core Engineering Pillars: Guide and inspire strategic and operational excellence across four specialized technical verticals:
  • Polymer Science & Compound Engineering: Direct the research, formulation, and development of next‑generation foams, elastomers, and circular raw materials.
  • Sports Engineering (Concept Engineering & CAE/Simulation): Champion digital twins, finite element analysis (FEA), and biomechanical modeling to accelerate virtual prototyping and optimize kinetic performance.
  • Technology & Manufacturing Engineering: Drive advanced exploratory hardware, computational design algorithms, robotics, and proprietary manufacturing automation centered around On's Lightspray technology.
  • Innovation Development & Scale‑Up Engineering: Architect the bridge between exploratory R&D and factory commercialization, establishing design‑for‑manufacturing (DFM) standards and driving technical readiness.
• Strategic Innovation Leadership & Enterprise Triumvirate: Partner closely with the Director of Sports Science and Director of Innovation Strategy to establish a unified, athlete‑validated innovation agenda.
• Bridge Science, Business, and Consumer Impact: Translate complex physics, chemistry, and kinetic mechanics into tangible product benefits and compelling brand narratives that resonate with runners and athletes worldwide.
• End‑to‑End Enterprise Alignment: 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.
• World‑Class People Leadership & Culture of Excellence: 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.

Your Story

• Proven Executive Engineering Leadership: 12+ years of progressive engineering leadership experience, including substantial experience guiding multi‑tiered teams of specialized engineers, scientists, and researchers within performance footwear, sports equipment, advanced materials, or high‑tech consumer products.
• Broad Multi‑Disciplinary Mastery: 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.
• Holistic Systems & Business Mindset: Demonstrated capability to balance deep scientific rigor with commercial acumen, IP generation, unit economics, and operational supply chain realities.
• Consumer‑Centric Communicator: Exceptional storytelling and stakeholder management capabilities, capable of articulating complex technical concepts with clarity to executive boards, marketing partners, and design teams.
• Empowering People Leader: Passionate about organizational health, team coaching, cross‑functional collaboration, and cultivating inclusive, high‑trust team dynamics.
• Education: Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Sports Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.

Your Team

We make dreams a reality. The Innovation team thinks beyond sports and footwear. Every day, we ask ourselves how we can create a better world, life, and experience for everyone. Teamwork makes it happen. We’re experts in engineering, sports science, and design, operating very much like a research laboratory. Together, we challenge the limits of what’s possible — creating solutions that shape not only the future of On but the industry.