Senior Lead - Footwear Testing

In Short

Product Testing is the voice of the athlete and the consumer  ensure every On product meets the highest quality standards and delivers a premium, high-performance experience by combining scientific rigor with real-world insight. Through rigorous testing and validation, only products that truly perform make it to market.

• Lead a high‑performing team of Specialists, fostering a culture of growth and exploration while elevating existing, successful workflows.
• Serve as a senior point of contact for internal stakeholders in the Run category, providing guidance and alignment on testing projects.
• Collaborate closely with key stakeholders to identify testing requirements based on product briefs and target consumers, owning end‑to‑end processes for assigned projects.
• Define and execute rigorous testing strategies across durability, fit, comfort, and performance, taking charge of high‑complexity testing programs.
• Lead qualitative and quantitative footwear testing, perception studies, and real‑world validation to ensure products reflect authentic athlete and consumer needs.
• Build and maintain strategic partnerships to integrate consumer insights, scientific expertise, and performance analysis into standardized, evidence‑based product evaluations.
• Translate complex testing data into powerful insights and clear reports that enable confident decision‑making and elevate product excellence across the organization.
• Ensure testing timelines are efficient and seamlessly integrated into the fast‑moving Product Creation calendars.
• Expand and cultivate a diverse tester network to support project timelines and enhance community engagement.
• Work seamlessly with testing systems and databases to ensure accurate &high‑quality data integrity.
• Contribute significantly to team goals and process improvements.

• 8+ years of experience in footwear testing or a closely related role within the footwear industry.
• A strong passion for run culture and performance running footwear.
• Proven leadership experience, with a passion for building high‑performance teams.
• Ability to influence cross‑functional team effectiveness through partnership & advisory.
• Excellent communication skills and confidence in working with cross‑functional stakeholders.
• A detail‑oriented, creative, and solutions‑focused mindset.
• Flexibility to work outside standard hours when necessary.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint & capable of adapting to internal databases.
• Analysis expertise with complex data and analysis methods.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken).

We are a team responsible for ensuring that On’s products represent the highest quality & performance standards. We analyze, test, and validate our products in the most comprehensive manner. Only products that pass our rigorous tests ever go to market.

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.