Senior Specialist - Footwear Materials

In short

As Senior Specialist – Footwear Materials, you will drive performance materials in line with the company vision. The role focuses on material creation, development, and technical execution for high-performance footwear products. Reporting to the Footwear Materials Team Lead, you will support the execution of the global material strategy, manage projects from concept to production, and collaborate closely with Design, Development, Product Marketing, and Sustainability teams. You are the technical lead for material integrity and industrialization, transforming material concepts into scalable, high-performance solutions. You will own technical specifications, quality standards, and sourcing execution for textiles and components, ensuring all materials meet performance and sustainability benchmarks. Acting as the link between global T2 suppliers and T1 product factories, you will ensure seamless integration from development through to mass production.

Your Mission

• Support the creation and sourcing of technical, high-performance materials in line with design briefs, collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Ensure material availability according to timelines, sourcing policies, quality standards, and target prices.
• Contribute to material-specific targets aligned with the sustainability roadmap.
• Identify opportunities for innovation in material performance, sustainability, and efficiency for footwear products.
• Lead material and component specifications for product creation, including color applications using Adobe Illustrator and PLM systems.
• Oversee the material lifecycle, ensuring all materials are tested, approved, and continuously improved through expertise in yarns, material structures, and polymers.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with T2 suppliers and T1 factory teams to support material development, quality, and process improvements.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the material library and tools for the product creation teams.
• Collaborate with internal teams (EUR / NAM / ASIA) — Design, Product Development, Product Management, Innovation, Sustainability, and Testing — to ensure alignment and successful execution of material initiatives.

Your story

• Bachelor’s degree (minimum) in Footwear Textile Sciences, Textile Engineering/Technology, or a related field; Master’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• 5+ years of global experience in performance footwear material development, including collaboration with Asia-based suppliers and factories.
• Extensive experience traveling globally to T2 suppliers and T1 factories to develop and source materials.
• Proven experience managing material development projects from concept through production.
• Strong understanding of footwear design and performance technology in the technical performance category, with an eye for aesthetics and awareness of industry and material trends.
• Demonstrated ability to implement innovation through performance materials and contribute strategically to projects.
• High attention to detail, with the ability to organize and create clear presentations and documentation.
• Strong understanding of industry processes, able to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written English) and a collaborative mindset when working with diverse stakeholders.
• Able to balance creativity with organization and discipline in a fast-paced environment.
• Adaptable and solution-oriented, with the ability to navigate change and bring an entrepreneurial mindset to unexpected challenges.

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.