Job Title: Lead Footwear Developer
The Lead Footwear Developer will collaborate with product teams to shape the future of On's product line by translating footwear innovation into advanced products. This role is vital for leading the development of forward-thinking concepts within our R&D organization.
Your Mission
- Oversee the creation of innovative product concepts from inception to completion, managing technology development, sample creation, and assembly, including the design of uppers, toolings, technologies, and molds.
- Manage multiple high-impact innovation projects with complete autonomy and ownership while strategically aligning with company goals.
- Engage in complex problem-solving and address challenges related to product intricacies, process optimization, efficiency enhancement, and scalable manufacturing practices.
- Facilitate seamless communication and collaboration by acting as a bridge between designers, conceptual footwear innovators, model makers, pattern engineers, technology partners, and other stakeholders, ensuring scalability is considered for every project.
- Collaborate closely with the Sport Science, Innovation Design, Footwear Engineering, and Innovation Material Science teams to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and advance innovative prototypes.
- Create and update the transfer manual, meticulously documenting processes, key data, design images, and detailed product/process descriptions to ensure it serves as a comprehensive and user-friendly resource for successful technical knowledge transfer.
- Build strong relationships with our development teams in Asia, actively participating in information transfer strategies and cultivating collaborative cross-border workflows.
- Demonstrate expertise in fabricating and assembling materials and components, utilizing a diverse array of machinery and hand tools, including cutting, injecting, sanding, buffing, sewing, welding, pressing, and lasting processes.
Your Story
- 5+ years of footwear-specific experience.
- Experience with footwear innovation projects.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering or a related field preferred.
- 3+ years of experience in traditional footwear manufacturing processes including injecting, cutting, sewing, welding, machining, laser cutting, construction, and prototyping.
- Ability to identify design issues and propose solutions for enhancing product functionality and manufacturability.
- Demonstrated knowledge of material testing and methodology, and comfort working with chemical processes for material creation—such as textiles, foam polymers, solvents, chemicals, polyurethane, superfoams, and EVA.
- Proven track record in scaling, costing, and testing manufacturing processes and concepts, while introducing new technologies to market.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to adapt communication style for interactions with engineers, designers, product experts, and cross-functional partners.
- Capable of working independently on multiple projects simultaneously, demonstrating innovative ideas alongside engineering problem-solving skills.
- High tolerance for ambiguity and a solution-focused mindset.
- Comfortable operating industrial machinery.
- Willingness to travel up to 15% of the time.
About the Team
On's Innovation team is an agile, interdisciplinary group of footwear creation, advanced manufacturing, and future sport experts driving On's innovations and athlete-informed technologies that set our footwear apart. We challenge the status quo and push boundaries to pioneer footwear innovation. As a member of the On Innovation Team, you will think outside the box and bring new, innovative ideas to life.
Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.