Burberry Product Developer — Footwear
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 13, 2026
About Burberry
A confidential luxury footwear maison within a global luxury group, renowned for artisanal craftsmanship, premium materials and internationally distributed collections. The employer blends heritage shoemaking techniques with contemporary design and innovation, partnering with specialised ateliers and international supply chains to deliver high-end footwear to discerning clients worldwide.
Confidential luxury house — Milan: Product Developer, Shoes. Lead technical development and production follow-up for high-end footwear collections.
Role & Responsibilities
- Drive end-to-end development of seasonal footwear collections from design concept to production, ensuring alignment with design intent and commercial targets.
- Produce and maintain detailed technical packages (tech packs), specifications, sizing and grading charts, and assembly instructions for each style.
- Coordinate prototype and fit sessions, manage sample iterations, and resolve fit, comfort and construction issues with design and pattern teams.
- Liaise with material and trim sourcing, validate suppliers, negotiate lead times and ensure material compliance with quality and sustainability standards.
- Collaborate with factories and external ateliers to translate technical requirements, monitor pre-production and production samples, and manage approvals.
- Control cost and bill-of-materials (BOM) targets, provide accurate costing inputs and suggest value-engineering solutions without compromising quality.
- Establish and manage development timelines, escalate critical path risks, and ensure on-time delivery to merchandising and production teams.
- Implement and enforce quality assurance protocols and post-production corrective actions to meet the maison's standards.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in footwear technology, industrial design, fashion design or equivalent practical experience.
- Proven technical knowledge of footwear construction, lasts, patternmaking, grading and assembly techniques.
- Demonstrated ability to create clear, production-ready tech packs and specification documents.
- Strong commercial awareness with experience managing costing, BOMs and supplier negotiations.
- Familiarity with sustainability requirements and material compliance in luxury footwear production.
Skills
Experience
Minimum 3–5 years in footwear product development, ideally within a luxury or premium footwear house, with hands-on exposure to European or Mediterranean suppliers and artisanal factories.
Education
Bachelor's degree in footwear technology, industrial design, fashion design or equivalent vocational/industry experience.
Workplace
This position is based in Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
Culture
The workplace blends meticulous artisanal tradition with contemporary innovation; teams operate collaboratively across design, sourcing and production to sustain the maison's reputation for excellence. Employees are expected to combine technical rigor with aesthetic sensitivity and a commitment to quality.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Burberry, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Footwear Product Developer», «Shoe Product Developer», «Footwear Technical Developer», «Footwear Development Specialist», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.