As our Senior Lead - Sustainability Design, you will be a strategic driver working at the intersection of sustainability and design. Your mission: to weave sustainability deeply into our design processes - making it not just a feature, but a foundation of our design ethos. This is not a design role, but a cross-functional leadership position, shaping how we design rather than what we design. You’ll work closely with counterparts in product strategy, development, and innovation to ensure sustainability isn’t an afterthought, but a foundational lens applied from concept to shelf.
Your Mission
Lead impact mapping across footwear, apparel and accessories. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to embed principles of design for circularity and sustainability into all product designs.
Translate strategy into a clear roadmap for the team by connecting the dots across innovation, strategy, design, development, and sourcing - whether through circular design principles, alternative dyeing methods, or identifying synergies between teams.
Collaborate closely with product strategy and sustainability teams to serve as a key enabler and consultant. Guide the prioritization of design decisions and initiatives that deliver the highest positive environmental impact, ensuring sustainability goals are not only set but achieved through proactive leadership and strategic planning.
Shepherd early-stage sustainable innovations from the Sustainability Concept into the Design team, helping translate new ideas and technologies, and ensuring feasibility and adoption.
Build strong connections to and coordinate with the material teams to research, validate, and roll out low-impact materials, from selection through implementation - through leveraging your deep knowledge of materials.
Partner with color design to implement impactful practices, such as dope dyeing and thoughtful palette building, that reduce environmental impact without compromising on aesthetic or appeal.
Collaborate with engineering and manufacturing teams to specify and validate low-impact materials and production methods into midsoles, speedboards, outsoles, and other bottom-unit components, ensuring these choices significantly reduce the shoe’s footprint and align with circularity goals from concept through production.
Educate and inspire the design team through workshops and ongoing training, sharing best practices and keeping the team up-to-date on the latest trends, innovations, and technologies in sustainable design.
Track and promote progress by championing circular initiatives during design reviews and internal events, and regularly sharing updates and insights with the Sustainability team to drive momentum and alignment.
Your Story
A strong, mixed educational background in design and impact sciences, i.e. environmental sciences, sustainability management or similar.
Deep understanding of materials and processes and their impact on LCA’s and other metrics measuring impact.
Proven track record of leading design teams towards successful implementation of sustainability initiatives and achieving significant environmental impact reductions.
Excellent communication skills, capable of inspiring and educating teams across the organization, as well as negotiating and influencing external partners and stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage complex projects with multiple stakeholders, aligning short-term actions with long-term sustainability goals.
Proactive by nature and entrepreneurial at heart. You thrive in high ambiguity, turning uncertainty into a clear direction and forward momentum for sustainable design.
Fluent in English, with proficiency in additional languages considered a bonus.
A visionary thinker with a practical, project-management mindset. You are known for your ability to convert innovative, sustainable solutions into tangible practices and for your dedication to transforming industry norms.
Meet The Team
You’ll be part of a vibrant and diverse Design Studio that drives On’s disruptive product design across footwear, apparel, accessories, design direction, and innovation. You’ll collaborate cross-functionally with concept and innovation designers, material experts, color specialists, product developers, and go-to-market teams - acting as the connective tissue in a culture that values creativity, curiosity, and collaboration.
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.
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