Hermès Head of Textile Heritage and Craftsmanship

Location
Employment Full-time
Seniority Manager
Posted Mar 24, 2026
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Hermès (Holding Textile Hermès) — Head of Textile Heritage and Craftsmanship in Bourgoin-Jallieu: lead conservation, development and promotion of HTH's textile archives.

Overview

Holding Textile Hermès (HTH) is the textile conservatory within the Hermès family of maisons, safeguarding one of the largest private French archives of textile samples, drawings and technical documents. As part of the Hermès group, HTH places heritage, material excellence and artisanal savoir-faire at the centre of its creative and commercial activities, supporting design teams and external partners through long-term stewardship of collections.

Role & Responsibilities

  • Define and implement a multi-year strategic plan for the conservation, valorisation and enrichment of HTH’s textile heritage, aligning with group heritage objectives.
  • Conceive, organise and oversee public-facing valorisation initiatives (exhibitions, visits, seminars) to position the archives as a source of inspiration for internal and external clients.
  • Receive and guide visitors (internal teams, external clients, institutions), delivering tailored, in-depth presentations of the collection.
  • Promote the collections to cultural institutions, museums, schools and targeted companies, and develop partnerships to increase the archives’ reach.
  • Advise commercial, creative and development teams on archive items relevant to client briefs and creative projects.
  • Identify and acquire items to enrich the collection (market monitoring, auction participation), and build complementary resources such as a library and video archive.
  • Lead research projects to integrate historical, artistic and literary documentation into the internal database.
  • Oversee inventorying, cataloguing and preventive conservation; ensure proper conservation conditions and safeguard the integrity of items for internal and external loans.
  • Supervise and mentor the on-site Heritage Officer (Chargée de patrimoine) and coordinate cross-functional teams for heritage-related projects.
  • Act as HTH ambassador within the group: liaise with group heritage, archives and documentation departments and represent textile savoir-faire at events, exhibitions and internal programmes.
  • Design and deliver internal training and acculturation sessions on textile techniques and iconic products; produce editorial content (articles, press dossiers) to promote craftsmanship.
  • Support and coordinate the Maison’s participation in initiatives such as the Prix de l’Adresse and maintain compliance with heritage labels (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant); cultivate the community of Meilleurs Ouvriers de France associated with the sites.

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree (Bac+5) in History, Art History or a closely related discipline.
  • Minimum 10 years’ proven experience in heritage management, archives, museum curation or valorisation of cultural collections.
  • Demonstrated expertise or strong interest in textiles and textile techniques.
  • Proven ability to design and implement heritage strategies and public programming.
  • Strong pedagogical skills with experience delivering training and guided visits.
  • Leadership by influence, charisma and storytelling ability; experience supervising and mentoring staff.
  • Excellent project management skills, autonomy, creativity, initiative and rigorous organizational aptitude.
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills for collaboration with diverse internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Heritage strategy and policy development Collection conservation and preventive care Cataloguing and inventory management Curatorial research and acquisition (auctions, provenance) Exhibition and public programming Stakeholder engagement and partnership development Project management Staff supervision and mentoring Training delivery and guided presentation Loan administration and condition reporting

Experience

Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in heritage/archives management, museum curation or stewardship of textile collections, including responsibility for strategic initiatives and team supervision.

Education

Master's degree (History, Art History or equivalent)

Workplace

The successful candidate will be located in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France, with easy access to Lyon. Across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Cerulean lists 69 open positions — 3 listed in the past two days. Cerulean currently advertises 4.275 open roles in France, including 127 added in the last 48 hours.

Culture

Hermès culture values exceptional craftsmanship, material knowledge and long-term stewardship of heritage. The role sits within a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment where curatorial rigour, creativity and respect for artisanal techniques are prized and promoted both regionally and internationally.

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.