Senior Lead - Exhibiton Programming - #52707

Location: Zurich

Product Design

In short

We are establishing our first-ever public cultural destination and dedicated exhibition space at our Zurich HQ, launching early 2027. We are looking for a visionary, globally-connected Senior Lead Exhibition Programming & Curation to shape and build this new cultural landmark from the ground up. As an exceptional cross-disciplinary curator and autonomous project leader, you will design and orchestrate a living ecosystem that sits at the intersection of design, innovation, and art. Operating as the strategic engine of this space, you will maintain a continuous, highly dynamic calendar of exhibitions, artist-in-residence programs, and discursive events. You will ensure the space remains a continuously populated, world-class inspiration hub that seamlessly bridges public cultural engagement with dynamic internal workshops, co-creation sessions, and cross-disciplinary inspiration for our product teams.

Your Mission

• Establish the Curatorial Vision: Define and execute a holistic, multi-disciplinary exhibition and event strategy that builds brand equity and long-term cultural legitimacy. You will develop overarching annual narratives that thread contemporary art, cinema, design, movement, and technology into an expansive, accessible public dialogue.
• Bridge worlds: Act as the vital link between external creative communities, global cultural institutions, and our internal product teams. You will design public-facing cultural moments while simultaneously programming the space as an internal sandbox for design workshops, co-creation sessions, and cross-disciplinary inspiration.
• Orchestrate the Artist-in-Residence Program: Head the strategic definition and curation of the Artist-in-Residence Program. You will invite established international talent and launch open calls for young creative communities, empowering residents to populate the space with their networks while embedding them into our technological research environment.
• Maintain Continuous Programming & Occupancy: Direct a rolling, continuous calendar of exhibitions, public community events, and internal activations. You will maximize the space's utility and inspiration potential year-round, ensuring it stays dynamically utilized and seamlessly adapted to changing programming needs.
• Operational Excellence: Manage and maintain full oversight of the programming budget, resource allocation, vendor contracts, and artist fees. You will source and supervise external technical teams, art handlers, and operational logistics, ensuring the exhibition infrastructure functions at a high-performance, premium scale.

Your story

• Cultural & Cross-Disciplinary Expert: You bring a deep background (10-12+ years) in curating and producing contemporary art exhibitions, residencies, or cultural programming, backed by an active global network.
• Strategic & Para-Curatorial Thinker: You excel at shifting ideas into alternative, highly desirable formats (talks, dinners, workshops) to build deep community engagement rather than just static showcases.
• Autonomous and Agile Self-Starter: You thrive in fast-paced, high-growth environments and are comfortable running a solo operation. You are equally skilled at driving long-term curatorial strategy and managing the practical realities of complex, multi-year timelines, international artist logistics, and external vendor networks without waiting for a predefined playbook.
• Collaboration-Minded Thinker: You understand how to align a cultural calendar with corporate realities. You possess the diplomacy to manage internal stakeholders, ensuring the space effortlessly transitions between public exhibition mode and internal team alignment/workshop mode.
• Inspirational Storyteller: You can translate complex artistic, technological, or design concepts into highly compelling copy, editorial initiatives, or physical media that resonate with a global fan base.

About the Team

You will report directly to the Chief of Staff (CoS) of Design, sitting at the heart of a vibrant and diverse Design Studio that drives On’s disruptive product design across footwear, apparel, and accessories. We are a team that values creativity, curiosity, and collaboration, and we are looking for someone who shares our passion for turning the "why" of our past into the "what's next" of our future.

Zürich

Just by the banks of the Limmat you’ll find our largest global hub in Zürich West – On Labs – where you can hike up 12 floors through our custom-built spiral trail.

Förrlibuckstrasse 190,
8005
Switzerland

Location

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.

Build the better you

What to expect

We want to set everyone up for success, so here’s the lowdown on how we hire. Our process is a two-way street – bringing you into our culture, while helping us learn how you think.

Our full process can last about eight weeks from application to offer, because we care about getting it right. These steps explain how we usually do things.

Before you get started, feel free to consider if you want to work with us. Strange question? Well, we give people a lot of space to navigate their day-to-day and that style isn't for everyone. We want you to be passionate about what you do and be sure this is the right fit. Because when skills and passion combine – it creates that 'Wow' moment.

• Step One

  It starts with you...

  You'll start by submitting your application to a specific role. We try to keep this step as simple as possible. We do get a lot of applications, but we review them all. If you're a good fit to the role, a recruiter will follow up with you directly. If you didn't receive a reply, or were unsuccessful this time around, we encourage you to look for other possible matches at On.

• Step Two

  Interview with a recruiter

  What ignites your spirit? This is where we’ll start getting to know all about you and what makes you tick – and it’s your first chance to get a feel for our culture. Chatting with a member of our talent team, you’ll learn more about On and how we work. We’ll learn about what motivates you and what you could bring to the team.

• Step Three

  Interview with a hiring manager

  Ready to dig into the details? This second interview will be held with your future manager and will focus on the specifics of the job. Together you’ll delve into your unique skills and experiences and how they could be relevant at On. It's also a time to assess how you might feel working side-by-side. Bring any questions you have about the job, the team or anything else you might like to know – this is an open forum.

• Step Four

  The Case Study

  What's your style? This task will help us understand how you think, face a challenge and give insight into your novel ideas. Designed to give everyone their best shot, your case study is based on something you might typically experience on the job. This is your chance to show us what you’ve got. So express yourself. Be you.

• Step Five

  The Experience Day

  Your first taste of the Oniverse. This is a time to meet some of the people you'll be working closest with. In person or virtually, you'll get a feel for the day-to-day at On and the people who make it happen. You'll chat with a few potential teammates - the conversations will be as equally driven by the role and your experience as by our values. We believe how you do things is just as important as what you do.

• Step Six

  The Result

  Are we a good fit? We’ll get together internally to share our feedback and decide if we’re a match. We know that job searching is a big time investment, so it’s not a decision we take lightly. It’s also time for you to reflect on the experience – are we the right place for you? No matter the outcome, we’ll give you meaningful feedback.