Officine Panerai Product Development Manager
- Location
- NeuchâtelNeuchâtelSwitzerland
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Manager
- Industry
- Fine Watches & Horology
- Posted
- Mar 20, 2026
About Officine Panerai
Officine Panerai is a luxury watchmaker combining Italian design heritage with Swiss watchmaking expertise and is part of the Richemont group. The brand is recognized for robust, design-forward timepieces and a production footprint anchored in Neuchâtel, where technical precision and artisanal craftsmanship converge.
Product Development Manager at Panerai in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Lead watch development and project teams in this R&D role.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor the watch project management team, ensuring achievement of product launch objectives and targets
- Organize regular project reporting to R&D, Operations, and Maison leadership covering planning, results, issues, budget, and risk management
- Provide technical support to team members and ensure quality of deliverables; set and evaluate team objectives, manage performance, and develop competencies
- Manage team capacity and workload; build and regularly monitor budget allocation
- Consolidate requirements from marketing and strategic briefs to maximize visibility on product launch roadmaps
- Facilitate interactions between marketing, creative, technical, quality, procurement, customer service, finance, and logistics departments on new product development
- Anticipate blockers and request necessary escalations; offer technical support to creative teams while communicating manufacturing constraints effectively
- Monitor and control product portfolio advancement; report status and critical issues via dashboards and flash updates
- Oversee supplier and competitor innovation tracking for departmental and cross-functional sharing
- Define and implement project management tools and performance indicators; ensure compliance with development methodology milestones
- Optimize cost of goods through collaboration with procurement and identify improvement levers in sourcing, technical specifications, and design modifications
Qualifications
- Engineering degree in microtechnology or equivalent qualification
- Minimum 3 years' experience managing a team
- Advanced knowledge of horology and technical cross-functional project coordination
- Proficiency in standard software tools including Excel and PowerPoint; programming skills in VBA or Power BI are advantageous
- Fluent in French and English (written and spoken); Italian language knowledge is preferred
- Demonstrated ability to adapt information and communicate across diverse technical and business audiences
Skills
Experience
Confirmed experience in project management with a minimum of 3 years leading a team. Candidates should demonstrate proficiency in coordinating technical cross-functional initiatives, familiarity with product development methodologies, and a track record of optimizing product costs while maintaining quality standards.
Education
Engineering degree in microtechnology or equivalent qualification.
Workplace
The role is situated in Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Culture
The workplace culture emphasizes craftsmanship, technical excellence and respect for heritage, combined with a drive for innovation. Teams are cross-disciplinary and collaborative, operating in a detail-oriented 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.
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 Officine Panerai, 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 «Watch Development Manager», «Product Manager - Horological Development», «Development Program Director», «Product Engineering 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.