Senior Specialist - Upper Concept Designer

In short

As a Senior Specialist - Upper Concept Designer, you will drive groundbreaking footwear upper innovations. You will be helping us to continue pushing the boundaries of material design and upper engineering to shape the future of performance footwear. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and industry-leading partners, you’ll translate visionary concepts into real-world performance breakthroughs, elevating both product experience and athletic potential.

Your Mission

• Design and craft uppers and materials that seamlessly blend form and function, defining a unique design language that fuses aesthetic storytelling with technical innovation
• Drive upper and material innovation from concept to execution, integrating cutting-edge materials, construction techniques, and performance-driven designs.
• Develop and prototype new upper constructions and materials, leveraging expertise in textiles, footwear making, and material science to redefine upper engineering through making, sampling and fearless experimentation.
• Scout and integrate emerging materials, processes, and technologies, staying ahead of industry trends and sustainability advancements.
• Work closely with suppliers, research institutes, and material technology experts in weaving, knitting, and textile development to turn breakthrough concepts into scalable products.
• Create precise tech packs and utilize digital tools (CAD, Adobe Illustrator etc.) to effectively communicate design intent internally and to external partners.
• Work cross-functionally with Design, Materials, Development, Sport Science, and Sustainability teams, aligning innovation with On’s product vision.
• Be a proactive self-starter, thriving in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple projects with strong prioritization and execution skills

Your story

• BSc/MSc in material design, product/footwear design or equivalent experience in a related field.
• 5 + years experience as a materials designer, product designer or developer in the performance footwear industry or equivalent experience in a related field.
• Affinity for product design and technology, particularly in the technical performance category, with an eye for aesthetics and key awareness of trends both in and out of the industry.
• Highly creative problem solver that thrives in a fast-paced environment while managing multiple projects with strong prioritization and execution skills.
• Advance textile construction and manufacturing knowledge, optimizing stitches, structures and raw materials for peak functionality.
• Footwear Construction Knowledge: Understanding of shoe anatomy, various shoemaking processes and the ability to adapt and engineer pattern and processes to achieve the desired outcome.
• Ability to create detailed tech packs to communicate design intent effectively with partners.Knowledge of textile-specific design software, such as CAD tools and Adobe suite.
• Experience in working and communicating with manufacturing partners
• Experience in IP and patent protection within the R&D space.
• Ability to work autonomously parallel to cross-functional collaboration.
• Strong communication skills (verbal & written) as well as the ability to communicate across all levels of the organization and to manage several projects in various stages
• Skilled in dealing with change and bring an entrepreneurial spirit when facing 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. 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.