Head Of Creative, Core Brand Design

In short

We’re looking for a senior creative leader to own, evolve and protect the core visual design language of the On brand.

As Head of Creative, Core Brand Design, you will be responsible for the design systems, frameworks and guidelines that ensure every expression of On feels coherent, consistent and unmistakably On. This role focuses on the brand’s core — the visual rules, structures and tools that enable scale without dilution.

You will lead and empower a design team responsible for maintaining and evolving On’s core brand assets across packaging, retail graphic systems, brand guidelines and beyond. Working closely with Brand Foundations, Brand Voice and downstream creative teams, you will ensure that creative ambition is translated into clear, usable systems that teams around the world can execute with confidence.

This is a senior leadership role focused on stewardship, clarity and long-term brand integrity. The role reports to the Global Head of Brand Creative, Brand Voice.

Your Mission

• Own and evolve the core visual design systems that give the On brand its coherence and recognisability.
• Set a bold direction for the team, bringing clarity to complexity and translating creative ambition into clear, scalable design systems.
• Design, maintain and refine frameworks, guidelines and toolkits that enable consistent execution across all touchpoints.
• Empower and coach a high-performing design team, creating the conditions for individuals to grow and do their best work.
• Lead through others: building trust, removing barriers and enabling teams across the organisation to execute the brand with excellence.
• Ensure the brand’s visual language scales globally without losing clarity, craft or distinctiveness.
• Translate creative intent into robust, practical design systems that teams can apply with precision.
• Partner closely with Brand Foundations to interpret upstream creative direction into executable brand systems.
• Work with product, retail, digital and marketing teams to ensure alignment and consistency across categories and channels.
• Act as a steward of the brand - protecting quality, coherence and integrity while enabling evolution.
• Lead with clarity and rigor, balancing creative excellence with operational effectiveness

Your story

• 10+ years of experience in brand design, graphic design or creative direction, with 5+ years in senior leadership roles
• Proven track record of coaching and empowering high-performing design teams, supporting the growth and development of individuals
• Proven experience leading and evolving brand design systems within a global brand or top-tier agency
• A strong portfolio demonstrating system-led thinking, design governance and large-scale brand implementation
• You act as a multiplier, not the star. You raise others up, give honest feedback, and create conditions where people can do their best work
• Highly detail-oriented, with a strong eye for craft, consistency and executional excellence
• Comfortable working at scale, managing complexity and enabling multiple teams to succeed
• A clear and confident communicator, able to articulate design decisions and standards with authority
• Fluent in English, written and spoken

What to expect

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.

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.