Senior Lead - Distribution Procurement Category Manager

In short

On's success comes down to two reasons: incredible products - and incredible people. It has one simple mission: Ignite the Human Spirit Through Movement. Available today in over 50 countries and cited as “the fastest growing sports company in the world,” On shoes and Performance Running Gear have won design and technology distinctions the world over.

As our Sr. Lead Distribution Procurement Category Manager, you will be responsible for the end-to-end strategic sourcing and category management of our global warehousing and distribution network. You will be tasked with developing long-term category strategies that support On’s rapid growth while ensuring operational excellence and cost efficiency across our Distribution & Logistics portfolio.

Your Mission

Responsibilities:

• Category Leadership: Develop and execute comprehensive category strategies specifically for warehousing and distribution services globally.

• Sourcing & RFP Management: Lead complex RFPs and sourcing events for 3PL providers, ensuring all decisions are supported by rigorous financial and operational analysis.

• Commercial Negotiation: Drive end-to-end contract negotiations, focusing on total cost of ownership (TCO), service levels (SLAs), and long-term scalability.

• Warehouse Operational Design: Support the procurement of automation and technology solutions (e.g., MHE, robotics) to drive distribution center efficiency.

• Network Optimization: Collaborate on business case creation for new node entries, facility expansions, or site relocations within the EMEA and global network.

• Vendor Excellence: Establish robust SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) frameworks to drive accountability and continuous improvement with our logistics partners.

• Labor & Consumables Strategy: Manage the procurement of indirect warehouse needs, including temporary labor contracts and packaging/consumables strategy.

• Operational Visibility: Create and maintain standardized reporting tools to track category spend, vendor performance, and contract compliance. Stakeholder Alignment: Facilitate regular strategic alignment meetings with Supply Chain, Finance, and IT leadership to ensure procurement goals support the broader business roadmap.

• Continuous Improvement: Proactively identify value-engineering opportunities to optimize our distribution footprint and drive sustainable cost savings.

The Successful Candidate Will Demonstrate:

• Subject Matter Expertise: Deep understanding of the warehousing and 3PL landscape, including cost models, operational drivers, and industry benchmarks.

• Strategic Influence: Skill to quickly build credibility and trust with executive-level stakeholders and external partners.

• Analytical Precision: Ability to build data-driven business cases and perform complex root cause analysis to support sourcing recommendations.

• Process Discipline: Strong knowledge of procurement best practices, contract law, and project management methodologies.

• Accountability: Ability to serve as the ‘single source of truth’ for the distribution category, managing complex dependencies across the global network.

• Resilience: Capacity to act as a change agent, navigating market volatility and high-pressure negotiations with tact and diplomacy.

Your story

Basic Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree (a combination of college education and related work experience may be used as a substitute).

• Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic procurement, category management, or a specialized logistics role in a fast-paced environment.

• Expert knowledge and proficiency with MS Office applications and experience with sourcing tools (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, etc).

Additional Skills:

• Strong demonstrated ability to work independently, manage data-intensive projects, and engage remote teams.

• Excellent discretion, judgment, and the capacity to handle sensitive commercial data.

• Solid business judgment, including the ability to anticipate the impact of procurement decisions on the end-to-end supply chain.

• Must demonstrate an energetic, positive, helpful demeanor and a passion for On Running.

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.