Hermès Leather Skiving and Splitting Specialist

About Hermès

Atelier HCI — Hermès Chaussures Italie — operates within the Hermès maison, a family-owned French luxury house renowned for exceptional artisanal savoir-faire and high-quality leather goods. Atelier HCI manages prototype development, sample-making and production coordination for Hermès footwear in Italy, working closely with Italian manufacturers to uphold the maison’s standards of craftsmanship.

Role & Responsibilities

• Perform precise leather skiving and splitting operations to prepare components for luxury footwear production, meeting tight tolerances and finish standards.
• Prepare and inspect hides and leather pieces, ensuring correct thickness, grain alignment and absence of defects prior to downstream operations.
• Operate and maintain skiving/splitting hand tools and machines, ensuring safe use and basic preventive maintenance.
• Execute quality checks on prepared components and finished assemblies; report and document non-conformities and corrective actions.
• Collaborate with prototypists, pattern makers and production planners to support sample development and serial production requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives to optimise material yield, reduce waste and enhance process repeatability.
• Record production progress and material usage via PC-based production tracking tools where required.

Qualifications

• Minimum six years’ professional experience in leather preparation within luxury footwear manufacturing or an equivalent artisanal environment.
• Excellent manual dexterity and fine hand skills specific to skiving and splitting operations.
• Strong attention to detail and a relentless orientation to product quality and finish.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively with technicians, prototypists and external suppliers.
• Flexibility and availability to adapt to production schedules and changing priorities.
• Familiarity with PC use and production tracking software is a plus.

Skills

Experience

Minimum six years of hands-on experience in leather preparation for luxury footwear production, with demonstrated competence in skiving and splitting in an artisanal or industrial atelier.

Education

Vocational diploma or recognised apprenticeship in leather goods, shoemaking or a related technical craft; formal training in leather processing or equivalent on-the-job certification preferred.

Workplace

Culture

Hermès cultivates a workplace rooted in artisanal excellence, autonomy and respect for craft. The maison values diversity and inclusion and encourages collaborative craftsmanship across specialised métiers, fostering an environment where precision and quality are paramount.

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.