Senior Specialist - Footwear Design

In short

We are excited to offer the position of Senior Specialist – Footwear Design Performance (Team Sports) within our Design team. In this role, you will contribute to the creation of next-generation performance footwear for team sports, translating athlete insights, biomechanical data and advanced technologies into innovative design solutions. You will operate in a fast-paced environment where the full design process — from concept exploration to production briefing — is driven by performance, precision and speed. Working at the intersection of sport science, computational design, AI-enabled workflows and advanced manufacturing, you will help shape the future of performance footwear within the Team Sports category.

Your Mission

• You will be an integral part of the Performance Footwear Team Sports vertical, contributing to the development of high-performance products built for elite athletes.
• You will own projects across the full design process — from initial research and concept creation through final commercialization.
• You will translate athlete insights, biomechanical analysis and sport-specific movement patterns into meaningful design solutions that elevate performance on the field.
• You will develop concepts, mockups, visuals, and high-quality 2D and 3D assets, supporting rapid iteration and clear communication across teams.
• You will leverage advanced digital workflows including 3D design, computational tools and AI-driven ideation to accelerate concept exploration and innovation.
• You will collaborate closely with sports engineering, biomechanics and testing teams to validate and refine performance hypotheses.
• You will work closely with our development partners in Vietnam, traveling two to four times per year to finalize prototypes and bring concepts to production.
• You will contribute to shaping On’s design vision and creative culture, pushing the boundaries of performance footwear within the Team Sports category.

Your story

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Industrial Design, Product Design or a related field.
• Proven experience in performance footwear design (3+ years), preferably within team sports or sport performance categories.
• Strong understanding of athlete needs, movement patterns and performance requirements within team sports.
• Expert skills in sketching and storytelling, combined with strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite.
• Advanced knowledge of 3D design tools such as Maya, ZBrush, Blender, Rhino or similar platforms.
• Experience with AI-enabled creative tools, generative design workflows, and computational approaches to design exploration.
• Understanding of footwear construction, materials and industrial manufacturing processes.
• Hands-on mindset with the ability to build physical mockups and proof-of-concept prototypes.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate design ideas within cross-functional teams.
• 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.