Team for Career Site
Product Operations
In short
We are looking for an experienced Head of Operational Excellence to join our Global Product Operations team at On, the most exciting and fastest-growing global sports brand. This is a new role to lead the existing teams focusing on planning and process improvement. The goal of the newly integrated team is to leverage synergies and cultivate a holistic approach to continuous improvement with a focus on calendar, project tracking, process documentation, assessment, improvement and implementation initiatives.This team will assess areas of operational inefficiencies and risks in order to optimize resources throughout R&D in various cycles of the product life cycle such as Innovation, Inline and Special project timelines and for all product categories: Footwear, Apparel, and Accessories. We are seeking a leader with a vision and passion for building a long-term, durable, and strategic approach to operational excellence in a highly dynamic setting. As an ideal candidate, you have a proven track record of change management at a sportswear brand, a keen understanding of the intricacies of product creation and process improvement, and the ability to lead, influence and collaborate with team members at various levels of the organization.
Your mission
– Create and implement a value driven vision for operational excellence, focusing on organizational change management and a shift from providers to strategic partners
– Develop and execute a multi-year strategic roadmap for global operational excellence to improve efficiency, quality and productivity, aligning with the company’s overall goals and objectives
– Define, measure, and communication quantifiable team goals in order to achieve successful implementation of the above
– Lead and mentor a team of planning and process improvement professionals, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement within the team, R&D, and the greater organization
– Monitor workload capacity and plan resources for successful implementation of existing and new projects within the team
– Utilize R&D KPIs to drive data-infused decision making and project prioritization in partnership with the Head of Product Systems & Analytics and the Head of Product Operations
– Identify and implement technology solutions to improve efficiency and productivity in partnership with the Head of Product Systems & Analytics and the Head of Product Operations
– Establish and maintain clear, continuous and concise project status updates to leadership and stakeholders through the use of roadmaps, live dashboards, SteerCo meetings, etc
– Build strong relationships with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, influencing decision-making to drive planning and process alignment across teams
– Together with your team:
– Maintain a comprehensive overview of R&D initiatives and interdependencies and plan resources accordingly with a solutions oriented mindset
– Conduct root cause analysis to identify opportunities for improvement
– Drive change management in R&D continuously to increase adoption rate of new planning and process improvements projects
– Establish standardized methodology to track adoption rate, analyze results, and utilize insights to inform continuous improvement efforts
– Implement data analytics and reporting tools to provide insights that infuse decision-making and process optimization
Your story
– 12+ years total experience; including leadership of high performing operational teams (planning, process improvement, PMO, data analysts, etc) at a company producing physical products
– Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Engineering or related discipline (Master’s preferred) or equivalent experience
– Certifications in Six Sigma or similar methodologies
– Experience with budget projection and ownership (Capex and Opex) and operational management experience (e.g. but not limited to product development/production, supply chain, sourcing)
– A demonstrated track record of translating multiple competing and initiatives with of varying complexities into a structured and tiered approach to improve operations while optimizing existing resources
– A passionate leader who is comfortable leading and growing a team in a fast paced and dynamic environment
– Experience working in the sportswear industry is a significant plus
– Experience working with BI tools a plus
– Excellent interpersonal skills, effective at work with cross-functional stakeholders
– Language: Fluency in English
Meet the team
The Product Operations team is the co-pilot to On’s product engine and fosters a culture of continuous improvement through increased efficiency, digitalization, and compliance. We ensure the correct information flow across internal and external teams and streamline operations by creating and managing calendars, building and improving processes, configuring and implementing ready made software, developing in-house product systems, synthesizing data across many channels, developing packaging, and spearheading product compliance. The team aims for operational excellence with a global mindset as On’s R&D teams are located across multiple locations around the world.