Richemont Director of Development
- Seniority
- Director
- Posted
- May 6, 2026
About Richemont
Richemont is a Swiss-based luxury goods group composed of distinguished maisons across watches, high jewellery and lifestyle accessories. As a corporate employer, Richemont combines heritage craftsmanship and brand stewardship with global retail and wholesale operations, supporting international teams that deliver premium client experiences and preserve artisanal excellence across its maisons.
Richemont — Director of Development in New York. Lead real estate strategy, store openings and capital projects for the luxury group's portfolio.
Role & Responsibilities
- Define and execute the real estate and store development strategy for the assigned territory, aligning openings and refurbishments with brand positioning and commercial targets.
- Lead site identification, feasibility analysis and location due diligence for new stores, flagships and shop-in-shops.
- Negotiate lease and acquisition terms with landlords, brokers and legal counsel to secure favourable commercial conditions and minimise operational risk.
- Manage end-to-end capital projects including budgeting, procurement, construction oversight and delivery to brand standards and timelines.
- Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders — brand teams, visual merchandising, architecture, legal, finance and operations — to ensure consistency of client experience and technical compliance.
- Oversee external consultants and contractors, ensuring quality control, cost management and adherence to sustainability and regulatory requirements.
- Develop business cases and financial models to support investment decisions and report project performance to senior leadership.
- Build and mentor a high-performing development team; establish processes, templates and KPIs for repeatable rollouts and refurbishments.
Qualifications
- Proven record of progressive responsibility in retail real estate, development or store rollouts, preferably within the luxury or premium retail sector.
- Demonstrated expertise in lease negotiation, site selection, project budgeting and construction management for flagship and boutique formats.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience creating financial models and investment-grade business cases.
- Track record of influencing cross-functional stakeholders and managing external advisors in complex, time-sensitive projects.
- Leadership experience in hiring, developing and directing multidisciplinary teams.
Skills
Experience
Extensive experience (typically 8–15+ years) in retail real estate or development roles with responsibility for end-to-end store openings, major refurbishments and capital projects; prior exposure to luxury or premium retail environments is strongly preferred.
Education
Bachelor's degree in real estate, architecture, engineering, business or a related discipline; advanced degree or professional qualifications in real estate, construction management or business administration is advantageous.
Workplace
The role is situated in New York, New York, USA.
Culture
Richemont values craftsmanship, heritage and long-term brand stewardship, fostering a collaborative, detail-oriented workplace that supports high standards of quality. Teams operate within an international matrix, balancing respect for maison identities with rigorous commercial and operational discipline.
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 Richemont, 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 Real Estate Development», «Director, Store Development», «Head of Retail Development», «Director, Property & Development», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.