On - Head of Distribution & Logistics Procurement - Zürich

Team for Career Site

Supply Chain

In short

On’s success comes down to two reasons: incredible products – and incredible people. It has one simple mission: Ignite the Human Spirit Through Movement. Available today in over 50 countries and cited as “the fastest growing sports company in the world”, On is looking for a Head of Distribution & Logistics Procurement to lead our global procurement strategy.

This is our most critical leadership role within the procurement organization. You will be responsible for the end-to-end strategic vision, goal setting, and organizational change required to scale On’s distribution and logistics categories globally. This role requires an exceptional procurement professional with a proven track record of managing high-performing teams and driving complex, large-scale transformations.

Your mission

– Strategic Leadership: Define and execute the global procurement strategy for distribution and logistics, ensuring alignment with On’s rapid growth and long-term business objectives.
– Team Management: Lead, mentor, and develop a multi-layered team of procurement professionals, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous development.
– Organization Change: Drive large-scale organizational change initiatives to modernize procurement processes and enhance the maturity of the global supply chain.
– Goal Setting & KPI Ownership: Establish and track annual procurement goals, cost-saving targets, and sustainability milestones, serving as the ‘single source of truth’ for leadership. Ensure alignment across functions (e.g., Finance)
– Cross-Functional Synergy: Partner with other Indirect Procurement teams to drive global synergies, best practices, and unified sourcing methodologies.
– Executive Stakeholder Management: Facilitate high-level alignment and decision-making with executive-level stakeholders across Supply Chain, Finance, IT, and Commercial teams.
– Strategic Sourcing & Negotiation: Oversee the global RFP calendar for high-stakes categories including ocean freight, air, outbound logistics, and warehousing.
– Continuous Improvement: Proactively identify value engineering and total cost of ownership (TCO) reduction opportunities across the entire EMEA and global network.
– Digital Transformation: Champion the adoption of advanced procurement technology and data-intensive reporting to drive operational visibility, AI improvements and adaption, automation of procurement tasks and sourcing decisions.
– Strategic Partnership Development: Establish and foster long-term strategic partnerships with key global suppliers and 3PLs, moving beyond transactional relationships to drive mutual innovation, sustainability, and shared value.
– Contracting Excellence: Drive a culture of contracting excellence by establishing robust legal frameworks, standardized global templates, and rigorous contract management lifecycles that mitigate risk and ensure high service levels.
– Exceptional Negotiation Command: Demonstrate an exceptional command of complex contractual negotiations, leading high-stakes discussions to secure advantageous commercial terms while maintaining strong, collaborative supplier relationships

Your story

– Exceptional Procurement Knowledge: Mastery of end-to-end procurement lifecycles, category management, and advanced negotiation strategies.
– Proven Leadership: A strong background in team management with the ability to inspire and lead a diverse, remote, and fast-paced team.
– Change Agency: Capacity to act as a change agent, demonstrating persistence and resilience when navigating organizational shifts or market challenges.
– Commercial Credibility: Skill to quickly build trust with executive-level stakeholders and external global partners.
– Analytical Vision: Ability to translate complex data into actionable strategies and build compelling business cases for strategic initiatives.

Basic Qualifications:

– A Bachelor’s degree; however, a combination of college education and related work experience may be used as a substitute.
– Minimum 10+ years of experience in strategic procurement and category management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership or team management role.
– Expert knowledge of MS Office applications and professional proficiency with modern sourcing tools (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, or similar platforms).

Additional Skills:

– Exceptional interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills with the ability to engage with executive-level stakeholders.
– Excellent discretion, judgment, tact, and diplomacy when handling sensitive commercial data and high-stakes negotiations.
– Capacity to thrive in a highly proactive and fast-paced environment where problem-solving is key.
– Must demonstrate an energetic, positive, and helpful demeanor with a passion for the On brand.

Meet the team

You will lead a specialized team of five direct reports, including Category Managers and Excellence Leads. As a member of the Global Supply Chain Transformation leadership team, you will collaborate with various functions, including various Supply Chain sub-functions, Finance, IT, Legal, etc., as well as numerous third party vendors. You will report into the Senior Director of Global Supply Chain Transformation.