Hermès Contract Manufacturing Buyer

About Hermès

Hermès is an independent Maison renowned for artisanal excellence across leather goods, ready-to-wear, accessories and high jewelry. The brand combines traditional craftsmanship with industrial rigour, operating global ateliers and a dedicated industrial purchasing function within Hermès Joaillerie.

Role & Responsibilities

• Manage the economic performance and margin of a portfolio of contract manufacturers; ensure achievement of defined margin targets and produce medium-term financial projections.
• Consolidate, analyse and monitor PRI (Prix de Revient Industriel) and associated processes; recommend and implement process improvements where required.
• Work closely with production ateliers to map and understand price structures across product typologies, including best-sellers and new models.
• Perform detailed cost-structure analyses to identify optimisation levers and propose actionable margin-enhancement plans.
• Design and deploy purchasing-process improvement projects; evolve tools and methodologies to strengthen economic performance monitoring.
• Define, structure and follow up on relevant KPIs for the Purchasing activity in alignment with strategic objectives.
• Manage and animate the supplier panel: drive supplier performance, implement supplier improvement plans and recommend panel evolutions.
• Lead sourcing activities including identification, audits and homologation of new partners and maintain continuous market intelligence.
• Consolidate annual supplier risk analyses, define mitigation and securitisation plans with internal control, and collect key compliance documentation.
• Represent Purchasing at manufacturing sites and professional trade shows; travel regularly across production sites and to industry events.

Qualifications

• Higher education degree from an engineering school or business school; ideally complemented by a master’s in Purchasing.
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in technical or production purchasing; preference for experience with high-quality or metallic products.
• Proven expertise in price analysis and margin steering, with the ability to decompose cost structures and provide reliable financial projections.
• Strong field and product-oriented approach with demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with production teams and ateliers.
• Capacity to design and implement innovative sourcing and cost-optimisation solutions while preserving product and métier requirements.
• High integrity, discretion and a collaborative mindset; excellent interpersonal skills and aptitude for co-construction across functions.

Skills

Experience

Minimum 5 years in technical or production purchasing, preferably with exposure to high-value or metallic products and industrial/atelier manufacturing environments.

Education

Engineering degree or business school diploma; master’s in Purchasing is a strong asset.

Workplace

Culture

Hermès fosters a culture that values meticulous craftsmanship, long-term relationships with ateliers and partners, and respect for artisanal know-how. The workplace emphasises cross-functional collaboration between Purchasing and production teams and a careful balance of innovation with tradition.

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.