Senior Director of Innovation Engineering

About the role

The Senior Director of Innovation Engineering leads and scales On's global footwear innovation engineering disciplines from On Labs HQ in Zurich, Switzerland. Reporting directly to the Sr. Director of Innovation, the role owns the entire technical innovation portfolio, unifying polymer science, sports engineering, technology and scale-up engineering. It works alongside the Director of Sports Science and the Director of Innovation Strategy to turn scientific discovery into consumer-facing performance products.

Key responsibilities

• Define and execute the multi-year footwear engineering roadmap, aligning technical breakthroughs with On's growth ambitions
• Lead Polymer Science & Compound Engineering: research, formulation and development of foams, elastomers and circular raw materials
• Lead Sports Engineering: champion digital twins, FEA and biomechanical modeling to accelerate virtual prototyping
• Lead Technology & Manufacturing Engineering: advanced hardware, computational design algorithms, robotics and automation around Lightspray technology
• Lead Innovation Development & Scale-Up Engineering: bridge R&D to factory commercialization, set DFM standards and drive technical readiness
• Partner with the Directors of Sports Science and Innovation Strategy on an athlete-validated innovation agenda
• Translate complex science into product benefits and brand narratives for runners and athletes
• Co-create strategy with Executive Leadership, Product Management, Design, Sourcing, Sustainability and Commercial teams
• Mentor and coach senior domain leads, foster technical mastery and build leadership succession

Required profile

• 12+ years of progressive engineering leadership, including multi-tiered teams of engineers, scientists and researchers in performance footwear, sports equipment, advanced materials or high-tech consumer products
• Fluency across polymer chemistry, elastomer compounding, foam processing, structural mechanics, CAE/FEA simulation, computational geometry, additive manufacturing, automated production, tooling and industrial scale-up
• Ability to balance scientific rigor with commercial acumen, IP generation, unit economics and supply chain realities
• Exceptional storytelling and stakeholder management, able to explain complex topics to executives, marketing partners and design teams
• Passion for team coaching, cross-functional collaboration and inclusive, high-trust team dynamics
• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Polymer Science, Sports Engineering, Biomedical Engineering or a related field