Head of Footwear Innovation DevelopmentIn

In short
At On, we don’t just create premium sportswear - we redefine human performance through tailored experiences. Our relentless pursuit of innovation, combined with deep expertise in manufacturing, fuels breakthroughs that push the limits of what’s possible. If you thrive on transforming bold ideas into reality, join us in shaping the future of performance footwear.
As the Head of Footwear Innovation Development, you’ll spearhead our most ambitious projects, challenging conventions and driving the next evolution of sportswear.Your mission
- Challenge the Status Quo: Rethink footwear design from first principles. Why do we create shoes the way we do? Question every assumption to unlock groundbreaking possibilities.
- Pioneer New Technologies: Integrate cutting-edge advancements in materials science, biomechanics, and manufacturing. Engineer footwear that optimizes movement, incorporates performance-enhancing technology, and embraces novel production methods that challenges conventional wisdom while reducing environmental impact.
- Develop an Innovation Framework: Successfully transferring, scaling, and commercialising groundbreaking innovation is one of the most complex challenges in product development. Create and implement a structured development framework that shepherds innovative footwear concepts through rigorous testing (performance and quality validation), feasibility assessments, and scalability evaluations before commercialisation.
- Lead Moonshot Projects: Drive high-risk, high-reward initiatives that push the boundaries of performance footwear. Identify and develop revolutionary concepts that may seem futuristic today but have the potential to redefine the industry. Collaborate with top researchers, engineers, and industry pioneers to bring visionary ideas from concept to reality, ensuring they are both technically feasible and commercially viable.
- Challenge and Vet Innovations: Encourage and champion cutting-edge ideas that challenge industry norms. At the same time, rigorously vet each concept for real-world viability, ensuring that bold innovations can meet safety standards, quality benchmarks, and volume production requirements.
- Drive Sustainable Innovation: Integrate sustainability into every stage of the innovation process, ensuring that new developments in performance footwear contribute to a more sustainable future. Champion environmentally responsible design, materials, and manufacturing practices to create breakthrough solutions that balance performance, innovation, and ecological impact.
- Champion Agile Innovation: Drive a fast-paced, iterative approach to innovation by fostering a culture of experimentation, rapid prototyping, and continuous refinement. Encourage testing, learning from failures, and optimizing ideas to achieve breakthrough results efficiently.
- Ensure Feasibility and Cost Efficiency: Evaluate manufacturing feasibility and cost efficiency at the earliest stages of development. Work closely with engineering and supply chain partners to adjust designs or materials as needed, so that breakthrough ideas can be produced cost-effectively at scale.
- Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration: Lead collaboration across R&D, Design, Strategy and Supply Chain teams, to accelerate innovation. Align objectives and timelines among departments, proactively resolving development challenges to keep the innovation pipeline on track from concept to commercialisation.
- Foster a Culture of Continuous Learning: Stay ahead of industry advancements and drive a learning mindset within the team. Ensure ongoing skill development by integrating the latest knowledge, insights, and best practices, empowering the team to innovate and adapt in a rapidly evolving landscape.Your story
- Innovation Process Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in innovation methodologies and structured processes (e.g. stage-gate development) for evaluating and scaling product concepts. You can set up frameworks that systematically bring ideas from the lab to the marketplace.
- Manufacturing & Cost Knowledge: Strong knowledge of footwear manufacturing environment, processes, product development cycles, and cost drivers. This expertise enables you to assess the feasibility of new concepts and guide them to be production-ready and cost-efficient.
- Visionary & Practical Balance: Proven ability to balance visionary thinking with practical execution. You can dream big and push boundaries, yet always plan for the realities of materials, production constraints, and quality control to ensure innovative ideas translate into successful products.
- Exceptional Project Management: Responsible for bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and large-scale production, ensuring that bold ideas translate into commercially viable products by managing timelines effectively, aligning cross-functional teams, and navigating technical, logistical, and regulatory hurdles.
- Leadership & Collaboration: Excellent leadership and communication skills with a talent for cross-functional collaboration. You have experience working with designers, engineers, factory teams, and marketers, aligning diverse groups behind a common goal and navigating projects through complex development stages.
- Proven Industry Experience: Extensive experience (typically 10+ years) in product innovation, development, or engineering - preferably in performance footwear or consumer products. A track record of bringing new products from concept to market and scaling production is essential for this head-of-department role.Meet the team
Our mission is to define and create the future of sportswear bringing to life groundbreaking innovations. Acting at the forefront of material science, sport science and engineering we develop products that push the boundaries of performance and sustainability, blending in unique aesthetic appeal that embodies On’s design DNA.
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.