On - Senior Lead – Footwear Testing (Maternity Cover) - Zürich

Team for Career Site

Footwear Product Creation

In short

Please note: Due to the temporary nature of this maternity cover position, we can only consider candidates who already have the legal right to work in Switzerland without requiring visa sponsorship. This includes individuals with EU/EFTA citizenship or a valid Swiss work permit.

At On we see Product Testing as the voice of our consumers who meticulously evaluate each product to ensure each user has a rich and long lasting product experience. The ultimate Product experience means everything to us so we need a visionary leader who is passionate about sport, understands functional movement patterns and is acutely aware of biomechanics and global foot anthropometry. As a Testing Lead Footwear, you will play a key role in determining the global testing strategy and guiding the team in their rigorous quality examinations of our new products coming to market through highly collaborative partnerships with athletes and testers. You will work in an environment where we make ideas happen fast, decide quickly and give high levels of responsibility. This role will be based in our Zürich Lab.

Your mission

– Drive the overall On Footwear Strategy, setting up and/or improving processes to ensure world class testing standards are adhered to.
– Lead a global team of footwear Testing Specialists
– Set us up for durable growth by building our global testing conditions and standards by creating robust partnerships, regional calibration, operating frameworks and procedures.
– Execute all aspects of footwear testing, including planning, conducting tests, analyzing data, collecting insights, writing reports, delivering presentations and program management.
– Develop a strong caring partnership program with our testers to ensure we have the best brand x tester relationship in the industry
– Make sure the team delivers in-depth feedback to product stakeholders both during testing and after tests are completed
– Work closely with the whole product creation team (product POD) to ensure that high quality and correct feedback on test products are delivered in an efficient and timely manner.
– Act as main point of contact with the leadership team within the Footwear Product Creation area. Main focus is PAD, SMU/Special products, Kids and Local testing at development factories.
– Lead, mentor and guide a team of professional testing specialists who have the knowledge to influence decision making regarding material, component and construction options to meet the product’s performance goals.
– Drive synergies between footwear, apparel and accessories testing
– Partner with sports science lab to develop and validate test methods specific to the movement expectations of the product
– Partner with our athlete team to develop test standards that are the best for the athlete
– Develop strong technical, anthropometrical and biomechanical understanding of the competitor landscape
– Modernise user experience, communication and reporting by developing efficient technology solutions in partnership with our operations and IT teams.

Your story

– 5+ years of experience in the athletic footwear industry.
– 5+ years of experience in analysing data, collecting insights, writing reports, delivering presentations and overall program management
– 5+ years of experience within the function of Footwear testing, fitting and/or development
– Excellent leadership skills, comfortable leading a professional testing team, ability in people management.
– Ability to work well at Leadership level and collaborate with key stakeholders in the product team and beyond.
– A Can-Do attitude and the ability to work with a high degree of flexibility.
– Ability to work outside of typical working hours when necessary.
– Available to travel internationally
– Detailed oriented and analytic mind: ability to create a plan and follow timelines, but also to think creatively and outside the box.
– Fluent in English
– Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Information Management, Engineering or related field of study.

Meet the team

We’re a team responsible for making sure that the products for On represent the highest quality standards. We have a lot of responsibility to meet the needs and demands of our customers. So we analyse, test and validate our products in the most comprehensive manner. Only products that pass our rigorous tests ever go to market.