Lead - Footwear Developer - PAD + Young Movers

Location: Zurich

Footwear Product Creation

In short

As the Lead Developer for PAD (Lifestyle) + Young Movers (Kids), you will be responsible for inline Lifestyle products in our fastest-growing, largest product vertical, alongside specialized development engineered specifically for the young movers in our community.

Honing craft takes time. It requires patience, resilience, and a dedication to the complex integration of footwear construction and systems. In this role, you are an individual contributor operating at the intersection of high-performance design for all-day wear and disciplined Swiss Engineering.

Your Mission

• Commit to the Craft: You will lead the technical development for new silhouettes across both Adult and Kids categories, ensuring that every product meets strict engineering standards for performance, aesthetic, and fit.
• Master Complex Integration: You will serve as the primary technical partner to Design, converting creative dreams into commercial reality without compromising on function.
• Bridge the Generations: You will translate adult performance concepts into kid-specific footwear, understanding the unique biomechanical and durability needs of younger, developing feet.
• Execute the Technical Lifecycle: Manage the end-to-end development process from initial 2D/3D design concepts through tech-packing, prototyping, and final production-ready samples.
• Drive Material & Tooling Innovation: Partner with material sourcing and tooling teams to test, validate, and implement new compounds, textiles, and manufacturing methods.
• Lead Fit & Wear Testing: Oversee rigorous fit and wear testing protocols for both adults and kids, analyzing feedback to iterate and optimize comfort, support, and durability.
• Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Act as the central technical hub between Design, Product Management, Sourcing, and Tier 1 factory partners to ensure timelines and margin targets are met.
• Optimize for Scale: Ensure blueprints and construction methods are optimized for mass production while maintaining the pristine aesthetic integrity of the brand.

Your story

• The Technical Authority: You bring 7+ years of footwear development experience, with a proven track record of launching highly complex, performance-driven lifestyle or athletic products. Experience in kids' footwear development is a massive plus.
• Resilient Individual Contributor: You have the patience and persistence to navigate the long development road. You take full accountability for the technical lifecycle and thrive when managing independent projects.
• A Problem Solver by Nature: Ingenuity is at your core. You think differently, challenge the status quo, and find elegance in solving the most difficult construction puzzles while maintaining superior performance.
• Global Collaborator: You have extensive experience working directly with overseas commercialization centers and factories, understanding how to communicate technical nuances across cultures.

Your Keys to Success...

• Thrive in Ambiguity: You don't wait for a perfect roadmap. In a fast-scaling environment, parameters change quickly; you view shifting priorities as an opportunity to innovate rather than a roadblock.
• Biased for Action (With Guardrails): You possess a strong sense of urgency. You know when to move fast and trust your gut, and when to pause to ensure Swiss-engineered quality isn't compromised.
• The "No Job Too Small" Mindset: Despite your seniority as a Lead, you are a hands-on builder. You are just as excited to brainstorm high-level platform concepts with Design as you are to roll up your sleeves and fix a tech-pack error.
• Comfortable with Constructive Friction: Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. You welcome diverse perspectives, lean into healthy debate with Design and Product management, and use pushback to sharpen the final product.
• Continuous Learner: The footwear landscape—especially in sustainable materials and circularity—is evolving daily. You are naturally curious, constantly scouting new methods, and eager to apply fresh learnings to the PAD and Kids lines.
  About the Team

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You will join the Zurich-based Footwear Development team, serving as a senior pillar of expertise. A high-performance collective of engineers, developers, and makers who serve as the technical heart of the brand.

In Zurich, our team acts as the primary link between Biomechanical Research, Material Science, Design, and Sourcing, ensuring that every innovation is grounded in technical reality before it reaches the athlete.

Our mission is to relentlessly elevate the performance and technical attributes of our footwear. We don't just facilitate product creation; we engineer the "ride." As part of the vertical, you will be surrounded by specialists who are obsessed with creating the best fitting, performing and desirable products in the market.

We pride ourselves on a culture of technical rigor and "Swiss Engineering," where we challenge the status quo to solve the most complex biomechanical hurdles in the industry. Your role within this team is to ensure that as our category expands, our technical standards and the performance "soul" of our footwear remain uncompromised.

Zürich

Just by the banks of the Limmat you’ll find our largest global hub in Zürich West – On Labs – where you can hike up 12 floors through our custom-built spiral trail.

Förrlibuckstrasse 190,

8005

Switzerland

Location
Ernest

Footwear Development, Ho Chi Minh City

Unlike other brands, we aren't just executioners out here in Vietnam, we give ideas as well. Sometimes they have a new idea in Zurich and we might find a process to make it more efficient and we share that.
What we offer

On is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate. Our distinctive approach combines a supportive, team-oriented atmosphere, with access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being, so each person is led by purpose.

On is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a work environment that is fair and inclusive, where all decisions related to recruitment, advancement, and retention are free of discrimination.

Build the better you
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.