Burberry Product Developer — Women's Formal Footwear
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 7, 2026
About Burberry
Burberry is a British luxury fashion house recognised for its heritage, craftsmanship and contemporary design. The brand operates globally across apparel, accessories and leather goods, and sustains a collaborative, design-led environment that emphasises creativity, quality and responsible business practices.
Burberry — Product Developer, Shoes in Florence: lead women's formal footwear development, manage PLM, samples and vendor relationships.
Role & Responsibilities
- Manage end-to-end product development for women's formal footwear from design launch to showroom delivery, including prototypes, samples and special orders.
- Collaborate closely with the Design team—attend fittings, give technical feedback and translate creative vision into manufacturable solutions.
- Partner with the Technical team to resolve construction and fit issues and keep stakeholders informed of progress and risks.
- Liaise with vendors and factories to brief, monitor capacity, place prototype/sample/component orders and track delivery against timelines and budgets.
- Drive sample and prototype schedules to meet critical-path deadlines; identify risks and implement mitigation actions to ensure on-time delivery.
- Support cost negotiations and aesthetic or construction adjustments with suppliers to meet margin and quality targets.
- Maintain accurate data and sample trackers in PLM throughout the collection process and ensure alignment with the merchandising range plan.
Qualifications
- Proven experience in footwear product development, specifically in women’s formal footwear, with on-site vendor/factory exposure.
- Strong technical understanding of footwear construction techniques, materials and manufacturing processes.
- Demonstrable experience managing supplier relationships and negotiating costs while protecting design intent.
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work cross-functionally with Design, Technical and Merchandising teams.
- Fluent English (minimum B2 level) and the ability to communicate technical briefs clearly.
- Proficiency in PLM and Excel for accurate data entry, sample tracking and reporting.
Skills
Experience
Proven track record in footwear product development with hands-on experience managing prototypes and samples in collaboration with designers and factories; demonstrated ability to deliver collections to showroom timelines and commercial targets.
Education
Degree or diploma in footwear design, product development, industrial design or a related technical field — or equivalent practical experience within footwear manufacturing and development.
Workplace
The role is situated in Florence, Tuscany, Italy.
Culture
The organisation blends a strong creative heritage with modern luxury sensibilities, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration between design, technical and commercial teams. Sustainability, craftsmanship and a commitment to professional development are central to the workplace ethos.
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», «Women's Footwear Development Specialist», «Footwear Technical Developer», «Footwear Prototype & Sample Developer», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.