Lead - Apparel & Accessories, Material Quality, Testing, and Color

Lead - Apparel & Accessories, Material Quality, Testing, and Color

As the Material Quality, Testing, and Color Lead for Apparel and Accessories, you will be responsible for creating global quality standards, constructing and scaling new processes, and managing multi-team contributions that ensure premium material quality, exceptional color achievability, and pinnacle performance across the entire A&A product range. Your technical knowledge and analytical skills will support your cross‑functional communication in relevant quality, color, and systems discussions.

The Color and Quality teams will look to you to drive progress, exemplify technical acuity, and support their professional growth. You will be proactive in delivering material quality and color expertise, with a clear ambition for detail‑driven problem‑solving and executing product integrity strategy in a fast‑paced and dynamic work environment. You will report to the Head of Materials for A&A, and work closely with Material Development, Product Quality, Material Sourcing, Product Compliance, and material vendors/product factories around the world.

• Maintain complete ownership of the internal quality standards for Apparel and Accessories as it relates to materials, trims, and color.
• Oversee the roll‑outs of updated standards and requirements for internal stakeholders, as well as external partners (T2/T1/3rd‑party labs).
• Manage the Material Color Team responsible for the Lab Dipping process, drive the creation of new color processes, re‑distribute team workloads based on business priorities, and control the enforcement of Color guidelines to external partners.
• Serve as the point person for system creation/updates/alignments to support integration of quality, color, and related data within the wider product‑creation technology ecosystem.
• Ensure that all prospective materials are tested accordingly in a timely fashion to support the end‑to‑end material approval process.
• Create, plan, and execute Tech Branding strategies in response to the business needs dictated by Product Strategy/Product Management teams.
• Lead quality initiatives from the material level that produce significant and lasting improvements at the product level.
• Complete regular touchpoints with Compliance, Returns, and Quality Teams to characterize integrity of past, present, and future product.
• Allocate and manage the necessary budget and resources required for all development‑round material/trim/color testing.
• Drive the collection, interpretation, and communication of all material testing data (3rd‑party, T2, and Internal).
• Maximize information availability and optimize the translation of product range + material specifications to a seasonal testing plan.
• Partner with product‑creation teams, sourcing offices, and suppliers to identify and mitigate material quality risks before manufacturing.
• Collaborate with sourcing offices to support remediation of bulk material quality issues.
• Serve as an ambassador to standards organizations (ISO/ASTM/AATCC) to align our own testing methodologies with international norms and ensure representation and influence within these communities.

• Experience:
  
  10+ years in materials quality, materials development, or textile production.
• Technical expertise: extensive knowledge of textile fibers, production processes (spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, and finishing), and a strong understanding of standard test methods for quality testing. Trims and hard goods experience is a plus.
• Analytical mindset: ability to extract meaning and draw parallels from large datasets; extrapolate patterns to determine best action in pursuit of premium quality.
• Communication: excellent verbal and written skills to collaborate globally; can present complex information effectively to audiences with minimal technical background.
• Organizational skills: detail‑oriented with ability to manage and execute multiple short‑term and long‑term projects simultaneously.
• Global exposure: experience with global material sourcing and development, including travel to key manufacturing hubs, trade fairs, and global sourcing offices.

We’re responsible for creating innovative products for On. We research, design, develop and test lots of ideas scientifically and aesthetically. Only products that pass our rigorous testing standards ever go to market.

• Work location
  : 8005 Zürich (ZH)
• Workload
  : 100%
• Employment start
  :
  Immediately
• Employment duration
  :
  Permanent
• Qualification
  :
  Skilled
• Work experience
  :
  More than 3 years
• Education
  :
  Bachelor’s degree from a university or equivalent
• English (Oral):
  Very good knowledge
• English (Written):
  Very good knowledge
• Application method
  :
  Online form