Product Creation Academy - Footwear Product Manager (Lightning)

In short: 

This is your chance to kickstart your career in the sportswear industry!

Become part of On's unique rotational development program - the Product Creation Academy. This 2 year journey is designed to develop you into a true functional expert with the potential to grow in our dynamic organization. You will embark on a specialized learning journey, with rotations designed to build depth in Footwear Product Management. To top it off, you’ll receive personalized mentorship from one of our senior leaders, ensuring you make the most of this transformative experience.

Are you ready to shape the future of the fastest growing sportswear company in the world? Dream On!

Program start date: September 1st, 2026.

Application period: Due to the expected high volume of applications, the role will be open for a limited time. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

 

Your mission: 

Over the course of the program, you will rotate through multiple connected teams, building a deep understanding of how performance footwear for elite athletes is created and brought to market. You will gain skills needed to become a Product Manager within our Lightning team, which focuses on racing, training and recovery footwear for Track & Field and road running specifically for athletes and the most dedicated consumers. You will learn how athlete insights, sport science, and testing data are translated into world-class products.

 

Your story: 

• Preferably you have an educational background in Business, Marketing, Sports Science, Biomechanics, Engineering, or a related field.
• You have approximately 2-3 years of hands-on experience working on projects related to product, sport, or performance, ideally in footwear or a similar industry.
• You show product thinking, balancing user needs, performance, and constraints.
• You can demonstrate how you’ve translated user or athlete insights into ideas or solutions.
• You are organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in parallel.
• You communicate clearly and confidently, and are comfortable engaging with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• You are curious, proactive, and eager to learn, with a willingness to take initiative and operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• You bring a hands-on, ownership-driven mindset, demonstrated through academic, extracurricular, or personal projects.
• You communicate clearly and effectively and are fluent in English (written and spoken).
• You have the right to work in Switzerland or the EU.
• You are able to travel internationally on a regular basis

 

Meet the team: 

The Product Creation teams are the ones who innovate, develop and design the next generation of products, materials, tools and processes to create what On stands for: be the most premium global sportswear brand, rooted in performance, design and sustainability with the goal to ignite the human spirit through movement.

The Lightning Team is On’s elite performance unit within Product Creation, focused on developing high performance footwear in close collaboration with the world’s best athletes. We translate athlete insights and sport science research into breakthrough innovations, setting new benchmarks in speed, efficiency, race-day performance, training and recovery. Our work shapes the pinnacle of performance products and defines the future direction of the brand’s high performance running offering.

 

What we offer: 

On is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate. Our distinctive approach combines a supportive, team-oriented atmosphere, with access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being, so each person is led by purpose.

On is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 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.