Chanel Senior Product Manager, Ready-to-Wear Embroidery

About Chanel

Chanel is one of the world’s most revered luxury houses, founded by Gabrielle Chanel and distinguished by an enduring vision of elegance, freedom, and modernity. As an employer, the House brings together métiers ranging from haute couture, fashion and leather goods to fragrance, beauty, watches, and fine jewelry, offering employees the opportunity to contribute to a legacy defined by exceptional craftsmanship and creative audacity. Chanel values excellence, discretion, collaboration, and long-term development, fostering an environment where talent is nurtured and heritage is continually reinterpreted for contemporary clients. Its teams are united by a commitment to quality, innovation, and the timeless spirit of the brand.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead strategic planning and calendar development for ready-to-wear embroidery collections in collaboration with the Creative Studio and business leadership, animating key project milestones (kick-off, first technical screening, validations, etc.)
• Translate creative direction into precise technical briefs, capture implicit client needs, and propose innovative solutions
• Pilot and arbitrate sample and prototype development, oversee key implementation actions (MAP, pre-orders, PLM), and ensure respect of timelines, quality standards, and budgets across the full development cycle through production handoff
• Oversee the prototype-to-production transition by ensuring technical compliance of validated collection embroideries during industrialization
• Guarantee stylistic fidelity throughout industrialization in close collaboration with the Creative Studio and Artisanal Métiers, ensuring each embroidery produced respects creative intent and expected quality and sustainability standards
• Optimize manufacturing processes to reduce costs without compromising design integrity; analyze fabrication techniques, components, and production steps to identify and propose innovations (material selection, execution simplification, alternative techniques) while maintaining design coherence
• Plan and oversee industrial testing (reproducibility trials, material and process validation, care testing) and ensure reproducibility and robustness of embroideries in production
• Formalize and transmit definitive technical files: complete, update, and distribute nomenclatures, technical sheets, quality standards, assembly and inspection instructions to manufacturing partners
• Manage production risks and resolve technical issues: anticipate bottlenecks (timing, quality, feasibility), conduct risk analyses, propose corrective solutions, and track implementation
• Deliver regular performance reporting: track KPIs (non-conformity rate, timelines, costs), establish post-industrialization reviews to capitalize on lessons learned and drive continuous process improvement
• Animate internal stakeholders, embroidery specialists, and partners by sharing guidelines, leading meetings, driving performance metrics, and strengthening synergy with Artisanal Métiers
• Collaborate closely with the Creative Studio, material and haberdashery sourcing teams, product managers, procurement, and production
• Drive proposals for technical problem-solving and transformation initiatives (digitalization, sustainability, innovation)
• Negotiate supplier pricing, build cost files (PRI), analyze value, and ensure economic coherence of developments; manage and optimize collection budgets in partnership with financial control and monitor KPIs (timelines, quality, costs)
• Promote embroidery craftsmanship; produce communication materials for markets, press, and internal teams
• Organize and coordinate realization of videos and collateral showcasing craftsmanship excellence
• Conduct ongoing competitive intelligence on innovations, materials, techniques, and trends; meet with suppliers (trade shows, archival visits) and initiate modernization projects

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (Bac+5) from a fashion school, engineering program, or equivalent
• Advanced proficiency in women's ready-to-wear and industrial manufacturing processes
• Technical expertise in materials and embroidery, including PLM system management and digital tools
• Strong negotiation and arbitration capabilities
• Exceptional product sensibility and acute understanding of fashion culture
• Leadership, autonomy, rigor, creativity, and positive orientation
• Fluency in French and English; Italian a distinct advantage

Skills

Experience

5-8 years of confirmed professional experience in product development, embroidery, haberdashery, or technical sourcing within a luxury fashion house or industrial embroidery manufacturer/fabricator

Education

Bachelor's degree (Bac+5) from a fashion school, engineering program, or equivalent qualification

Workplace

Culture

Chanel fosters a culture of timeless creativity, exacting craftsmanship, and quiet excellence, where employees are encouraged to uphold the house’s heritage while contributing to its continued innovation. The workplace environment is refined, collaborative, and deeply committed to quality, offering professionals the opportunity to grow within a globally respected maison that values discretion, artistry, and long-term vision.

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.