Hermès Product Development Manager, Runway & Haute Couture Women's Footwear
- Location
- PantinÎle-de-FranceFrance
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Mid-Level
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- Sep 10, 2026
About Hermès
This prestigious fashion house, renowned for its timeless elegance and innovative designs, is a part of a leading global luxury conglomerate. The brand is committed to excellence and offers a dynamic environment where creativity and business acumen are equally valued.
Hermès seeks Product Development Manager for runway women's footwear in Pantin, France. Lead design-to-production cycles for luxury collections—requires 6+ years experience, Italian & English fluency.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee product development from design conception through head-of-production, ensuring alignment with creative vision, collection requirements, and quality/cost/timeline standards
- Provide technical support to the design team during model development, from sketch receipt through prototype and runway sample delivery
- Coordinate material sourcing with dedicated procurement team and manage ready-to-wear department requests
- Develop and maintain product nomenclatures within the PLM system
- Develop and manage an innovative portfolio of finishing techniques in partnership with the finishing reference specialist, ensuring conformity with Hermès' quality standards
- Identify and qualify new supplier capabilities and innovative know-how
- Track all stakeholder actions from design receipt onward, ensuring adherence to decision timelines via retroplanning tools
- Stabilize and scale finishing processes to ensure reproducibility and reliability
- Create, update, and distribute technical documentation to all stakeholders including development, industrialization, manufacturers, and procurement teams
- Collaborate closely with the industrialization team to ensure smooth project execution and balance aesthetic requirements with manufacturing constraints
- Identify technical challenges and feasibility issues, analyze root causes, and propose tailored solutions
- Monitor budgets for finished products and molds throughout development and industrialization phases
- Verify alignment between forecasted and actual expenditures and provide regular reporting for budget visibility
Qualifications
- Minimum 6 years of experience in footwear product development or technical project management
- Demonstrated expertise in technical footwear manufacturing and construction
- Advanced proficiency in PLM systems and digital product development tools
- Fluency in Italian and English, essential for regular travel and collaboration with Italian manufacturing partners
- Exceptional organizational and project management skills with meticulous attention to detail
- Strong problem-solving abilities and capacity to navigate complex technical and creative challenges
Skills
Experience
Minimum 6 years of professional experience in footwear product development, technical project management, or equivalent role within luxury manufacturing. Proven track record leading complex product cycles from conception through industrialization in a multi-collection environment. Experience managing relationships with international suppliers and manufacturing partners, particularly in Italy, is highly valued.
Education
Engineering degree or equivalent technical qualification in materials, industrial design, or footwear technology. Advanced professional certifications in project management (PMP, PRINCE2) or lean manufacturing methodologies are advantageous.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Pantin, Île-de-France, France, with easy access to Paris.
Culture
The company fosters a collaborative and innovative culture, encouraging employees to push the boundaries of creativity while maintaining a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical 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.
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 Hermès, 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 «Footwear Development Project Lead», «Shoes Product Development Director», «Runway Collection Development Manager», «Product Manager, Women's Luxury Footwear», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.