On - Head of Apparel Development - Zürich

Team for Career Site

Apparel & Accessories Product Creation

In short

The Head of Apparel Development leads and represents Apparel Product Development within the product creation triad that includes Design, Product Management and Development. It delivers the long term apparel development strategy and product excellence and is committed to our athletes and consumers to delivering game changing innovation by building cohesive teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals, driving inclusive performance management, rewards and recognition.

Your mission

– Co-create (with the Head of Apparel Creation) the longterm apparel development vision and strategy that will ensure product excellence and a product that is pushing the needle for years to come.

– Monitor and implement the latest in apparel and garment technology processes, workflow, equipment and software to ensure On’s cutting edge and industry leading position in the market

– Champion (alongside the Apparel Engineering Lead) apparel fit and sizing initiatives to develop and improve coherent consumer experience across apparel categories

– Partner closely with the Head of Technical Development to ensure all apparel products meet our On quality and garment testing standards

– Collaborate with the Asian Costing & Sourcing organisation with existing product requirements and taking an active role in the introduction of new suppliers where necessary as well as being a key partner in driving the apparel supply chain of tomorrow

– Drive and ensure a smooth coordination between different timelines across, inline, in-season and innovation

– Represent product development on the product creation triad (Product Management, Design, Development) in driving On’s product vision, future growth strategies, diversity & inclusion and innovation

– Leading the execution of product development from concept to manufacturing readiness

– Lead, build, nurture and inspire the apparel development team by building a diverse talent pipeline, empowering and enabling through coaching, career development and creating an environment of belonging and well-being

– Provide functional leadership and support to cross-functional teams in areas related to capacity planning, materials, garment construction, product commercialisation, engineering/costing, sustainability, QC and meeting all key calendar gates & dates

– Build strong and profound business relationships with existing and new global suppliers

– Ongoing evaluation of the departments processes and improving ways of working by setting clear procedures and guidelines, lean processes, distributing workloads evenly on teams and managing team capacities

Your story

– Minimum 10 years’ experience in apparel development and manufacturing and working with wide array of global suppliers and manufacturers

– Minimum 5 years’ experience leading teams with demonstrated leadership capability, including strong ability in develop diverse talent in a dynamic work environment

– Proficient knowledge in product development and manufacturing – construction, materials, product creation life cycle, costing, digital product creation and product review meetings/fit sessions

– Experience in working with designers and product creation teams on new apparel concepts, innovation thinking, strategy and problem solving

– Highly developed verbal and written communication skills with ability to clearly articulate goals and objectives; apart from standard tool repertoire understanding the digital creation landscape and its softwares will be of high importance

– Bachelor’s Degree in Textile Sciences, Textile Engineering/Technology from a global leading university or related field

– High level of verbal and written English to be able to collaborate with diverse stakeholders

– Highly attentive to detail and has the ability to build, organise, and create effective presentations and strategy documents

– Able to balance creativity with organisation and discipline in a fast-paced environment

– Very strong interpersonal skills to maximise the productivity of the application team

Meet the team

We are engineers that steer ideas into reality. Development is a mindset, not a department – and every team member is empowered to make decisions, with the understanding that failure is part of the learning process.
As an integrated function in the design and briefing process; we are detail, execution and solution-oriented – guiding products with tight timelines and the highest possible product quality, both on the shelf and in use.