Hermès Director, Materials & Components Development
Hermès Sellier — Director, Materials & Components Development in Pantin, France. Lead material strategy, sustainable sourcing and industrialisation for leather goods collections.
Overview
Hermès Sellier is the leather goods and saddlery division within the Hermès group, recognised for its artisanal craftsmanship, meticulous product development and high-end luxury leather accessories. The organisation operates at the intersection of creative ateliers and industrial partners, maintaining rigorous quality standards and a strong emphasis on material provenance and responsible sourcing.
Role & Responsibilities
- Define, size and govern the collection material structure (fabrics, linings, trims, metre embroideries and components) in line with creative intentions, product strategy and sustainability objectives.
- Lead and coordinate a multidisciplinary team (approximately 20 people) through the end-to-end material and component development cycle, ensuring adherence to retro-planning, deadlines and information flows between studio, buying, quality and production teams.
- Establish and pilot the target material plan per season (number of materials, colour references, functions and target price points), build development budgets and consolidate performance and budget reporting.
- Drive cross-functional alignment—organise regular touchpoints with collection direction, studio, buying and production—to ensure coherence of proposals, industrial feasibility and smooth handover to production.
- Implement and communicate development tools and governance; ensure rigorous referencing of materials in PLM systems (FPLM, M3) and maintenance of searchable archives and documentation.
- Accelerate the adoption of responsible and certified materials (e.g. organic cotton GOTS, RWS/RDS wools/feathers, LWG leather), build a sourcing roadmap with purchasing and report on certified material usage and stock optimisation.
- Anticipate and mitigate industrial risks by identifying at-risk materials or components early, coordinating quality and regulatory testing (REACH, safety/innocuity) and proposing pragmatic solutions to maintain production schedules and budgets.
Qualifications
- Minimum 10 years' experience in materials and components development within luxury fashion or leather goods, with progressive leadership responsibility.
- Proven experience managing and developing a multidisciplinary team of material developers, technicians and coordinators (team size ~20).
- Demonstrable track record of building and piloting material plans, development budgets and KPI-driven reporting.
- Strong supplier and stakeholder management skills, with experience coordinating cross-functional teams (studio, buying, quality, production).
- Solid knowledge of material certifications and sustainable sourcing pathways and the ability to implement realistic roadmaps for certified materials adoption.
Skills
Experience
At least 10 years of progressive experience in materials and components development for luxury apparel, accessories or leather goods, including demonstrated leadership of medium-sized teams and responsibility for material strategy, industrialisation and supplier coordination.
Education
Degree or equivalent in textile engineering, materials science, fashion/product design or a related discipline, or demonstrable equivalent professional experience in luxury materials development.
Workplace
This position is based in Pantin, Île-de-France, France, within easy reach of Paris. Cerulean lists 105 open roles in Pantin, including 13 posted recently. The broader Île-de-France area accounts for 3.727 active listings on Cerulean, 101 of which are new. In France as a whole, Cerulean currently features 4.275 open positions, with 127 posted this week.
Culture
The organisation embodies Hermès’ artisanal ethos: an environment where craft excellence, creative collaboration and long-term product stewardship intersect. Colleagues operate in close partnership with creative ateliers and purchasing teams, with a strong emphasis on quality, provenance and increasingly, sustainable sourcing practices.
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.