On - 268822 – Lead – Procurement Category Manager Ocean - Zürich

Team for Career Site

Supply Chain

In short

Available today in over 50 countries and cited as “the fastest growing sports company in the world”, On’s success comes down to two reasons: incredible products – and incredible people. It has one simple mission: Ignite the Human Spirit Through Movement. As our Lead Procurement Category Manager Ocean, you will be responsible for the strategic sourcing and category management of On’s global ocean freight network. You will be tasked with developing long-term strategies that ensure capacity, reliability, and cost-efficiency as we continue to scale our global footprint

Your mission

– Ocean Category Strategy: Develop and execute end-to-end global ocean freight strategies, focusing on carrier mix, lane optimization, and service level excellence.

– Sourcing & Tender Management: Lead global ocean freight RFIs/RFPs, managing the full lifecycle from carrier selection to final award and contract execution.

– Capacity & Allocation Management: Partner with logistics teams to secure seasonal capacity and manage volume allocations across core carriers to mitigate market volatility.

– Commercial Negotiation: Drive negotiations for ocean freight rates, surcharges, and contractual terms, ensuring competitive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

– Carrier Relationship Management (SRM): Establish and lead performance reviews with ocean carriers and forwarders, utilizing KPIs to drive accountability and continuous service improvement.

– Market Intelligence: Proactively monitor global shipping markets, port congestion, and regulatory changes to advise leadership on risk and strategy.

– Cost Optimization: Identify and execute value-engineering opportunities, such as port-pair optimization and container utilization initiatives.

– Operational Visibility: Collaborate with IT and Logistics to enhance real-time visibility into ocean spend and carrier performance through data-driven reporting.

– Stakeholder Alignment: Ensure ocean procurement goals are aligned with Global Supply Chain milestones and financial budget targets.

The Successful Candidate Will Demonstrate:

– Ocean Freight Expertise: Deep knowledge of the ocean freight industry, including carrier alliances, bunker adjustment factors (BAF), and maritime contract law.

– Strategic Influence: Ability to quickly build credibility and trust with external carriers and internal executive stakeholders.

– Analytical Precision: Skill in performing data-intensive analysis to build business cases for lane changes or carrier shifts.

– Accountability: Ability to serve as the ‘single source of truth’ for ocean procurement data and critical action items.

– Resilience: Capacity to act as a change agent, demonstrating persistence when navigating complex global logistics challenges.

Your story

Basic Qualifications:

– A Bachelor’s degree; however, a combination of college education and related work experience may be used as a substitute.

– Minimum 5 years of experience in strategic procurement, category management, or ocean freight forwarding in a fast-paced environment.

– Expert knowledge and proficiency with MS Office applications.

– Proficiency with modern sourcing and procurement tools (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, or similar platforms).

Additional Skills:
– Strong demonstrated ability to work independently, manage data-intensive projects, and engage remote teams.

– Excellent discretion, judgment, tact, and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive commercial negotiations.

– Solid business judgment, including the ability to anticipate the impact of procurement decisions on the global supply chain.

– Must demonstrate an energetic, positive, helpful demeanor and a passion and interest in On Running.

Meet the team

You are part of the Global Supply Chain team, reporting into the Head of Distribution & Logistics Procurement. In this role, you will work and collaborate with various functions, including Inbound/Outbound Logistics, Finance, IT, and Legal. You will be actively collaborating with team members across both regional and global teams, as well as our ocean carriers and freight forwarding partners.