Head Of Footwear Materials

In short

Swiss Engineering is not about excess, but about intent. This role leads the creation of a future-ready footwear materials portfolio, engineered for performance, durability, and responsibility, and built to support innovation and long-term growth without compromise. We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced professional to join our brand as Head of Footwear Materials. As the leader of the footwear materials team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our footwear by driving performance, innovation, quality, and sustainability across the entire product range. This role offers a unique opportunity to apply deep expertise in materials science, implementation and manufacturing, market insight, scalable operations, and supply chain leadership to build exceptional materials systems—and, in doing so, strengthen the foundation of our brand.

Your Mission

1. Leadership and Strategy:

• Develop and execute the strategic vision for footwear materials, aligning it with the overall brand and sourcing strategy.
• Lead and inspire a team of materials specialists, fostering a culture of innovation, operational excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including design, strategy, development, quality, sustainability, and sourcing, to ensure effective integration of materials in footwear products.

1. Material Development and Innovation:

• Stay at the forefront of material science, emerging technologies, and market trends to identify and develop innovative materials that meet performance, durability, and sustainability requirements.
• Conduct research and collaborate with external partners to identify new material opportunities and drive material advancements.
• Build, maintain and refresh the global footwear materials and embellishments toolboxes in partnership with key functional partners
• Lead complete oversight of all material developments from concept to commercialization, ensuring timelines, quality standards, and cost targets are met.

1. Supplier Management and Collaboration:

• Build and maintain strong relationships with material suppliers, ensuring, in partnership with the Head of Material Sourcing, a robust and reliable supply chain from development through production.
• Partner closely with suppliers to drive innovation, performance, quality, and sustainability goals.
• Collaborate with suppliers to drive continuous improvement, resolve material-related issues, and ensure compliance with brand standards and regulations.
• Frequently evaluate and take action on supplier performance and portfolio in partnership with the Head of Material Sourcing

1. Quality Assurance and Testing:

• Establish and enforce rigorous material testing and quality control protocols to ensure compliance with industry standards and brand requirements.
• Work closely with quality assurance teams to address any material-related issues, implement corrective actions, and prevent quality deviations.
• Stay informed about industry regulations and standards related to footwear materials, proactively ensuring compliance and guiding the brand's sustainability efforts.

1. Sustainability and Circular Economy:

• Drive sustainability initiatives by identifying opportunities for eco-friendly materials and processes, waste reduction, and circular economy practices.
• Collaborate with sustainability teams to set goals, track progress, and report on the brand's sustainability performance related to footwear materials.
• Engage with stakeholders, industry groups, and sustainability organizations to stay informed and contribute to industry-wide sustainability efforts.

Your story

• Proven experience (15+ years) in footwear material development, sourcing, and supply chain management within the sports industry.
• Deep knowledge of sport and lifestyle footwear materials and manufacturing processes.
• Experience shaping bespoke, premium material solutions, combining performance engineering with the craft and attention to detail expected in high-end lifestyle products.
• Demonstrated experience leading and delivering strategic change within complex fast growing organisations.
• An innate drive to build, take ownership of execution, and work autonomously while remaining aligned to shared goals.
• Strong leadership capability, with the ability to lead, influence, and inspire cross-functional teams.
• Extensive experience developing expertise within materials and footwear manufacturing environments.
• Highly adaptable, with the ability to navigate complex and rapidly changing environments.
• Hands-on by nature, with a willingness to travel as required, including short-notice trips when needed.
• A collaborative leader who fosters teamwork and creates an environment where people feel valued and included.
• Proven experience driving sustainability and circular-economy initiatives in footwear materials.
• A passion for innovation, with the ability to identify and scale new materials, technologies, and processes to improve performance, sustainability, and cost effectiveness.
• Deep understanding of material testing standards, quality-control processes, and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, stakeholders, and senior leadership.
• Strong project-management capability, with a track record of delivering material development projects on time and within budget.
• A genuine passion for sport, with a keen eye for market trends, consumer needs, and functional performance requirements.

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.