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, In our lifestyle product ranges. 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 material development:
* Manage material development from initial design brief to product commercialization handoff, following calendar and ensuring clear communication with suppliers.
* Drive Sustainability & implement innovation: Work with Head of Apparel Materials, and our innovation and sustainability teams to integrate new preferred materials and commercially ready innovations to inline product. Identify and onboard new material partners and liaise with global sourcing to help build a robust and relevant supplier network.
* Manage upfront material price, and lead time with suppliers, ensuring alignment with project goals and business objectives.
* Act as a key partner to all product creation stakeholders, including Design, Product Management, Development, Testing, and Sales.
Your story
* Experience: You have 10+ years of global experience in apparel, material development, or a related industry, with a strong focus on lifestyle and fashion product.
* Technical Expertise: You possess extensive knowledge of materials and trim, natural and synthetic fiber types, wovens, knits, insulation and print techniques. You have developed directional material franchises with global suppliers.
* Strategic Vision: You have a strong eye for product aesthetics, a deep awareness of industry trends, and the ability to think and act strategically as it relates to ON Running market positioning.
* Communication: You have excellent verbal and written communication skills to collaborate with internal and external partners globally and present complex information effectively. You can present dynamic visual material stories that are understood by Design and Product Marketing.
* Organizational Skills: You are highly attentive to detail and skilled in project management, able to balance creative direction with organization in a fast‑paced and environment.
* Global Exposure: Experience with global material sourcing and development, including travel to key manufacturing hubs, trade fairs and global sourcing offices is a must.
About 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. So we research, design, develop and test lots of ideas scientifically and aesthetically. Only products that pass our rigorous testing standards ever go to market.
Just by the banks of the Limmat you’ll find our largest global hub in Zürich West – On Labs – where you can hike up 12 floors through our custom‑built spiral trail.
We always look for better decisions, we always listen to people and listen to different colleagues. We listen, we digest, and we find the most suitable one for all the team and everybody benefits. That process makes us really innovative.
What we offer
On is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate. Our distinctive approach combines a supportive, team‑oriented atmosphere, with access to personal self‑care for both physical and mental well‑being, so 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.
We want to set everyone up for success, so here’s the lowdown on how we hire. Our process is a two‑way street – bringing you into our culture, while helping us learn how you think.
Our full process can last about eight weeks from application to offer, because we care about getting it right. These steps explain how we usually do things.
Before you get started, feel free to consider if you want to work with us. Strange question? Well, we give people a lot of space to navigate their day‑to‑day and that style isn’t for everyone. We want you to be passionate about what you do and be sure this is the right fit. Because when skills and passion combine – it creates that ‘Wow’ moment.
Step One
It starts with you...
You'll start by submitting your application to a specific role. We try to keep this step as simple as possible. We do get a lot of applications, but we review them all. If you're a good fit to the role, a recruiter will follow up with you directly. If you didn't receive a reply, or were unsuccessful this time around, we encourage you to look for other possible matches at On.
Step Two
Interview with a recruiter
What ignites your spirit? This is where we’ll start getting to know all about you and what makes you tick – and it’s your first chance to get a feel for our culture. Chatting with a member of our talent team, you’ll learn more about On and how we work. We’ll learn about what motivates you and what you could bring to the team.
Step Three
Interview with a hiring manager
Ready to dig into the details? This second interview will be held with your future manager and will focus on the specifics of the job. Together you’ll delve into your unique skills and experiences and how they could be relevant at On. It's also a time to assess how you might feel working side‑by‑side. Bring any questions you have about the job, the team or anything else you might like to know – this is an open forum.
Step Four
The Case Study
What's your style? This task will help us understand how you think, face a challenge and give insight into your novel ideas. Designed to give everyone their best shot, your case study is based on something you might typically experience on the job. This is your chance to show us what you’ve got. So express yourself. Be you.
Step Five
The Experience Day
Your first taste of the Oniverse. This is a time to meet some of the people you'll be working closest with. In person or virtually, you'll get a feel for the day‑to‑day at On and the people who make it happen. You'll chat with a few potential teammates – the conversations will be as equally driven by the role and your experience as by our values. We believe how you do things is just as important as what you do.
Step Six
The Result
Are we a good fit? We’ll get together internally to share our feedback and decide if we’re a match. We know that job searching is a big time investment, so it’s not a decision we take lightly. It’s also time for you to reflect on the experience – are we the right place for you? No matter the outcome, we’ll give you meaningful feedback.
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