Hermès Technical Development Manager
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Manager
- Industry
- Luxury Furniture & Homewares
- Posted
- May 29, 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 Technical Development Manager for CATE ceramics atelier in Nontron, France. Lead team, oversee product development and industrialization.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead the technical development and industrialization of ceramic collection projects according to structured development processes
- Oversee supplier development initiatives for metallic components, ceramic blanks, pigments, precious metals, and decorative elements
- Arbitrate technical and artistic design choices to align with collection creative ambitions
- Ensure successful industrial launches meeting objectives for quality, cost, timeline, and performance specifications
- Provide technical expertise to production workshops and drive continuous improvement initiatives
- Contribute to savoir-faire development and technological monitoring to maintain excellence and innovation standards
- Champion health, safety, environmental (HSE) commitments and ensure compliance with regulatory and environmental requirements
- Manage, mentor, and develop the Technical Development team comprising project managers, project officers, and project assistants
- Foster a collaborative and stimulating work environment with fluent communication across departments
- Participate in recruitment, onboarding, and staff development activities
- Drive departmental objectives, improvement plans, and training needs identification
- Organize and coordinate service activities according to project priorities and capacity/workload balance
- Track development milestones and ensure timeline adherence
- Participate in project reviews and technical governance instances
- Identify technical, industrial, and regulatory risks and implement corrective actions
- Participate in departmental budget development and monitoring
- Collaborate with CATE and BEYRAND industrial teams on technical development
- Participate in feasibility, design, prototyping, and industrialization reviews
- Guarantee technical rigor and consistency in industrial choices
- Implement process and development tool improvements
- Conduct active technological monitoring of sector materials, processes, and regulations
- Support Production, Industrialization, and Quality teams with technical assistance
- Participate in initiatives to reduce defects and optimize industrial performance
- Lead problem-solving and continuous improvement activities
- Track performance indicators and manage associated action plans
Qualifications
- Master's degree or engineering qualification in a technical discipline
- Minimum 10 years of experience in technical development, industrialization, or industrial project management
- Significant experience in team management and leadership
- Expertise in ceramics, materials, luxury sectors, or artisanal craftsmanship preferred
Skills
Experience
Minimum 10 years of professional experience in technical development, industrialization, or industrial project management, ideally within ceramics, materials science, luxury goods, or artisanal crafts sectors. Significant experience in team management and leadership required.
Education
Advanced technical qualification or engineering degree
Workplace
The role is situated in Nontron, Dordogne, France — conveniently close to Bordeaux.
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 «Head of Technical Development», «Technical Development Director», «Development & Innovation Manager», «Technical Project Manager», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.