Chanel Senior Manager, Design & Innovation
- Seniority
- Senior
- Department
- Creative, Design & Styling
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- May 11, 2026
About Chanel
Chanel is an independent, Paris-founded luxury maison renowned for haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, accessories, fragrance and beauty. The brand combines codified heritage and artisanal savoir‑faire with ongoing investments in creativity and product innovation across global markets.
Chanel — Senior Manager, Design & Innovation in New York. Lead product design and material innovation for an iconic luxury fashion house.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead the Design & Innovation agenda for assigned categories, translating Chanel’s aesthetic codes into commercially viable, technically robust product concepts.
- Initiate and manage cross‑functional innovation projects from conceptual sketch to production-ready prototype, coordinating design, development, sourcing, and manufacturing partners.
- Drive material research, new technologies and sustainable solutions; develop proof-of-concept prototypes and piloting plans.
- Define project roadmaps, allocate resources, control timelines and budgets, and report progress to senior leadership.
- Forge and maintain relationships with ateliers, suppliers, external design studios and technology partners to accelerate time-to-market.
- Mentor and develop a multi-disciplinary team of designers, material specialists and product developers; cultivate a high-performance creative culture.
- Present concepts and technical proposals to executive stakeholders, ensuring clarity on creative intent, cost implications and production feasibility.
- Ensure adherence to brand quality standards, fit and construction expectations while incorporating innovation and contemporary relevance.
Qualifications
- Proven track record in luxury fashion design, product development or material innovation at senior level.
- Demonstrable experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and managing complex, cross-functional projects.
- Strong technical understanding of garment/footwear/leather goods construction, prototyping processes and industrial constraints.
- Excellent stakeholder management and executive presentation skills; ability to translate creative intent into commercial specifications.
- Portfolio or case studies evidencing successful product innovation, material development or technology integration.
Skills
Experience
Typically 7+ years in design, product development or materials innovation within luxury fashion or related sectors, with at least 3 years in a leadership role overseeing multi-disciplinary teams and complex product launches.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Materials Science or a related discipline; master’s degree or advanced technical training preferred.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in New York, New York, USA.
Culture
Chanel blends rigorous creative discipline with artisanal craftsmanship; employees operate in an environment that prizes aesthetic integrity, technical excellence and discretion. The maison encourages collaborative innovation while maintaining exacting standards of quality and heritage.
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 Chanel, 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 «Senior Design Manager», «Head of Design Innovation», «Senior Manager, Creative Innovation», «Product Innovation Manager», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.