Senior Specialist - Material Designer

In short

At On, our material design team plays a crucial role in shaping the aesthetics, performance, and sustainability of our products. Materials provide structure, durability, and the ability to communicate states of mind. With technical knowledge of material manufacturing and performance, a material designer at On creates and curates materials in close collaboration with the Design and material development teams to produce visually compelling narratives for our products. By staying attuned to the latest trends in materials, finishes, and textures, as well as contemporary art and emerging artists, they cultivate an expertise that informs and elevates our design process.

Your Mission

• Seasonal material briefs - Create seasonal material briefs by category and vertical needs with an eye towards commercialization, sustainability and margin thresholds
• Material board creation / curation - happens in close collaboration with the material teams
• Material library curation - Explore new materials, finishes, and treatments to enhance product performance, aesthetics, and sustainability
• Material development (aesthetics) - Design of engineered materials and new material developments within an inline timeline
• Materialways proposals - Utilize knowledge of material properties and manufacturing processes to inform design and color decisions to ensure feasibility.
• Material map creation
• Strong collaboration with FTW designers
• Connection with color designers to ensure color methodologies are connected to material choices from the start
• Present material design proposals, concepts, and narratives in compelling ways to gain buy-in from internal stakeholders ensuring seamless integration of materials
• Work closely with Design, Development, Product Strategy and Material development teams to align material strategies with overall product goals and brand initiatives
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive work environment, encouraging creative exchange and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Keep up to date with materials, finishes, and textures—how they are combined, how they are used, and how they create impact in art, culture, and fashion to tell stories and convey emotions.
• Stay knowledgeable about contemporary art and new artists, focusing on how they use texture and finish in their work.
• Regularly build and maintain a comprehensive inspiration library that includes patterns, textures, designs, mood images, materials, and shapes, both digitally and physically.

Your story

• Bachelor's degree in Textile/Product Design or similar field
• 4+ years of experience in the footwear industry with a focus on Material design
• Proactive and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment, with a demonstrated ability to solve complex challenges
• You possess proficiency in the 2D design tools such as: Adobe Creative Suite, PLM, etc, 3D tools would be plus
• Passionate about sustainability and experience in integrating sustainable practices into materials sourcing
• Strong understanding of competitor brands and distribution channels, with a knack for gaining insights that drive product differentiation
• Fluent in English, written and spoken, any other language would be a plus

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. We ask that you allow around 14 days for us to come back to you with a response. If you are a good fit to the role, someone will follow up with you within that window. 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. We ask that you allow around 14 days for us to come back to you with a response. If you are a good fit to the role, someone will follow up with you within that window. If you didn't receive a reply, or were unsuccessful this time around, we encourage you to look for other possible matches at On.