Senior Lead - Apparel Development

In short

As a Senior Lead - Apparel Development at On, you serve as the technical architect and strategic developer for the global apparel organisation. At this level, your influence extends beyond the execution of individual products; you are responsible for defining the engineering standards, technical roadmaps, and operational frameworks that allow our teams to scale. You act as a critical bridge between visionary design and commercial reality, balancing an entrepreneurial drive for innovation with the structural discipline required for global excellence. You are a trusted advisor to senior leadership, a mentor to the wider development community, and the final authority on technical integrity for our most complex and high-visibility initiatives.

Your mission

• Lead the development of complex technical apparel styles and seasonal projects, ensuring excellence in performance, durability, and fit consistency across all size scales.

• Drive technical solutions tailored to high-performance environments, including durability for high-intensity movement, repeated laundering, and complex branding integrations.

• Partner closely with Design to translate creative concepts into scalable, production-ready Tech Packs that maintain visual identity while delivering elite performance standards.

• Oversee fit, grading, and size-set consistency for premium product lines, ensuring accuracy across global consumer and professional size ranges.

• Collaborate with Materials and Innovation to advance lightweight constructions, moisture management systems, bonded or seamless applications, and advanced ventilation mapping.

• Act as a technical lead for high-visibility product launches, managing risk, timelines, and stakeholder alignment with professional authority.

• Work directly with global manufacturing partners to ensure repeatability, durability, and quality at scale for large-volume product programs.

• Manage seasonal costing excellence by advising on material choices, yield, construction methods, and vendor suitability while maintaining quality and performance standards.

• Drive hands-on cost engineering initiatives, making development decisions that balance performance, margin targets, and scalability.

• Maintain data integrity and ensure accuracy of all development information within PLM, enabling clear communication, traceability, and scalable execution.

• Mentor Junior and Mid-Level Developers within the category, sharing expertise in construction and development best practices.

• Stay ahead of industry innovation in team apparel systems, including advancements in lightweight fabrics, athlete data integration, and sustainable material solutions.

Your story

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Apparel Engineering, Textile Technology, or a related field, combined with an entrepreneurial spirit that challenges the status quo.

• 12+ years of apparel development experience, with a significant track record of leading complex, high-performance categories at a top-tier global sports or outdoor brand.

• Industry-recognised expertise in functional garment engineering, advanced textile mechanics, and specialised construction (e.g., bonding, seam-sealing, 3D body mapping).

• Demonstrated ability to look beyond the garment to the system-optimising PLM workflows, Digital Product Creation (DPC) integration, and global quality protocols.

• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical risks into strategic business language for C-suite and cross-functional leaders.

• Experience managing multiple seasonal drops aligned to fixed competition calendars.

• Experience managing a diverse international vendor base and a willingness to travel globally to support technical development and production excellence at the source.

• Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus.