Senior Specialist - Apparel Developer

In short

As a Senior Apparel Developer at On, you will oversee the development of advanced performance apparel, driving technically complex products from concept to commercial readiness. This role requires deep expertise in functional garment construction, professional-grade utility, and the rigorous demands of high-intensity, competitive use environments.

The Senior Developer creates world-class athletic products that lead in innovation, fit, durability, quality, and functionality. You will own the development journey from concept and sketch through detailed Tech Pack creation, ensuring product integrity and technical excellence before handing off a style fully ready for manufacturing.

You will partner closely with Design, Innovation, Materials, and Sourcing to deliver technically robust, competition-ready products that meet the standards of elite athletes while scaling for global distribution. As a senior member of the Apparel Development team, you will mentor others, support operational excellence, and act as a key technical authority within the category.

This role requires a strategic thinker with strong category credibility, confident communication skills, and advanced knowledge of performance garment engineering.

Your Mission

• Execute the development of complex technical apparel styles and seasonal projects, ensuring excellence in performance, durability, and fit consistency across all size scales.

• Deliver technical solutions tailored to high-performance environments, including durability for high-intensity movement, repeated laundering, and complex branding integrations.

• Partner closely with Design to translate creative concepts into scalable, production-ready Tech Packs that maintain visual identity while delivering elite performance standards.

• Oversee fit, grading, and size-set consistency for premium product lines, ensuring accuracy across global consumer and professional size ranges.

• Collaborate with Materials and Innovation to advance lightweight constructions, moisture management systems, bonded or seamless applications, and advanced ventilation mapping.

• Serve as the technical focal point for high-visibility product launches, managing risk, timelines, and stakeholder alignment with professional authority.

• Work directly with global manufacturing partners to ensure repeatability, durability, and quality at scale for large-volume product programs.

• Manage seasonal costing excellence by advising on material choices, yield, construction methods, and vendor suitability while maintaining quality and performance standards.

• Drive hands-on cost engineering initiatives, making development decisions that balance performance, margin targets, and scalability.

• Maintain data integrity and ensure accuracy of all development information within PLM, enabling clear communication, traceability, and scalable execution.

• Provide mentorship to Junior and Mid-Level Developers, sharing technical expertise in apparel construction and industry best practices.

• Stay ahead of industry innovation in team apparel systems, including advancements in lightweight fabrics, athlete data integration, and sustainable material solutions.

Your story

• Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Apparel Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

• 8+ years of apparel development experience, with significant hands-on expertise in complex, high-performance product systems.

• Demonstrated expertise in technical performance apparel, tiered product ranges, and advanced functional construction methods.

• Strong understanding of complex branding integration, global regulatory standards, and technical placement constraints for high-visibility product lines.

• Advanced knowledge of garment construction, grading, and durability testing specific to high-intensity, high-frequency use environments.

• Proven experience collaborating with elite-level end-users or professional consultants to validate performance, ergonomics, and fit.

• Advanced proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, PLM tools, and technical documentation.

• Professional seniority with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and guide projects through complex, time-sensitive launch cycles.

• Experience managing multiple seasonal deliveries aligned to rigid global launch windows.

• Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus.

• Willingness to travel globally to support technical development, product fittings, and production.

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.