Senior Footwear Testing Lead — Run Performance

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

Job summary

On in Zürich is seeking a Footwear Testing Senior Lead to validate footwear from development through market, driving excellence and leading the Run category team. You will collaborate with Design, Development, Materials, Product Strategy and Sports Science to ensure fit, comfort, durability, and performance.

You will lead a high-performing team of Specialists, guiding testing projects, defining strategies across durability, fit, comfort, and performance, and translating data into actionable

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in footwear testing or a closely related role.
• Strong passion for run culture and performance running footwear.
• Proven leadership experience and ability to build high-performance teams.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams through partnership and advisory.
• Excellent communication skills with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Detail-oriented, creative, and solutions-focused mindset.
• Flexibility to work outside standard hours when necessary.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint and adapting to internal databases.
• Advanced data analysis skills and methodology.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken).

Responsibilities

• Lead a high-performing team of Specialists, fostering growth and exploring new workflows.
• Serve as a senior point of contact for internal stakeholders in the Run category, providing guidance and alignment on testing projects.
• Collaborate closely with key stakeholders to identify testing requirements based on product briefs and target consumers, owning end-to-end processes for assigned projects
• Define and execute rigorous testing strategies across durability, fit, comfort, and performance, taking charge of high-complexity testing programs.
• Lead qualitative and quantitative footwear testing, perception studies, and real-world validation to ensure products reflect authentic athlete and consumer needs.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships to integrate consumer insights, scientific expertise, and performance analysis into standardized, evidence-based product evaluations.
• Translate complex testing data into powerful insights and clear reports that enable confident decision-making and elevate product excellence across the organization.
• Ensure testing timelines are efficient and seamlessly integrated into the fast-moving Product Creation calendars.
• Expand and cultivate a diverse tester network to support project timelines and enhance community engagement.
• Work seamlessly with testing systems and databases to ensure accurate & high-quality data integrity.
• As a leader, you will significantly contribute to team goals and process improvements.

Skills

Footwear testing

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Communication

Project management

Stakeholder management

English fluency

Excel

PowerPoint

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

On in Zürich is seeking a Footwear Testing Senior Lead to validate footwear from development through market, driving excellence and leading the Run category team. You will collaborate with Design, Development, Materials, Product Strategy and Sports Science to ensure fit, comfort, durability, and performance.

You will lead a high-performing team of Specialists, guiding testing projects, defining strategies across durability, fit, comfort, and performance, and translating data into actionable