Lead - Footwear Material Designer

Position Overview

At On, the Material Design team plays a crucial role in defining the synergy between performance, aesthetics, and sustainability. The opportunity involves shaping the material design vision, spearheading innovation, and ensuring excellence across various product categories. Materials are central to our brand, influencing product performance, tactile experience, and emotional connections with consumers.

Key Responsibilities

• Material Strategy Leadership: Define and drive the long-term material design vision across categories, ensuring alignment with brand and business goals.
• Seasonal Direction Setting: Lead seasonal material briefs, ensuring clarity and innovation while meeting commercial and sustainability targets.
• Creative Direction & Storytelling: Establish distinctive material narratives that enhance product storytelling and strengthen brand identity.
• Material Innovation: Explore and integrate new materials and technologies, pushing the limits of performance and sustainability.
• Material Development Oversight: Guide the development of engineered materials, ensuring that design intent is realized to the highest standards.
• Materialways & Feasibility Leadership: Ensure material proposals are visionary yet executable, grounded in manufacturing expertise.
• Material Systems & Efficiency: Oversee material mapping and library strategy to promote consistency and scalability across product lines.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Collaborate with teams across Footwear Design, Color, Development, and Product Strategy, making key decisions.
• Color & Material Integration: Lead the seamless integration of color and material strategies from concept through to execution.
• Stakeholder Influence: Present and communicate material strategies at a senior level to drive alignment.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor and develop Material Designers, fostering a high-performance culture within the team.
• Culture & Innovation Driver: Promote a culture of innovation and continuous improvement across functional teams.
• Trend & Insight Leadership: Translate macro trends and advancements in materials into actionable design direction.
• External Awareness: Stay informed about industry developments and emerging technologies to maintain On’s competitive edge.
• Inspiration Direction: Elevate the team’s approach to inspiration, ensuring a relevant and forward-looking creative pipeline.

Qualifications

Candidates should possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Textile Design, Product Design, or a related field.
• 8–10+ years of experience in footwear or performance product design with a strong focus on Material Design.
• A proven record of leading material direction and delivering innovative products successfully.
• Expertise in material construction and manufacturing processes related to performance requirements.
• Ability to lead teams and influence stakeholders across various levels.
• Strategic mindset connecting creative vision to business outcomes.
• Advanced proficiency in design tools, particularly Adobe Creative Suite and PLM; 3D capabilities are advantageous.
• A commitment to sustainability with experience in implementing responsible material strategies.
• Strong understanding of competitive landscapes and market dynamics.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English; proficiency in additional languages is a plus.

About the Team

The Color and Materials Team is pivotal in driving On’s global product expression and innovation. In this role, you will significantly influence the team's output, culture, and overall impact. With a collaborative and forward-thinking approach, we challenge conventions and define the future of our brand through diverse expertise across color, materials, and design.