- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Lead
- Industry
- Fine Watches & Horology
- Posted
- Sep 29, 2026
About Vacheron Constantin
Vacheron Constantin, founded in Geneva in 1755, is one of the world’s oldest continuously operating watch manufactures and a benchmark of Swiss haute horlogerie. As an employer, the Maison offers a culture shaped by craftsmanship, precision, transmission of knowledge, and enduring innovation. Its teams contribute to exceptional timepieces that unite artistic mastery, technical complexity, and timeless elegance. Within an international environment supported by the Richemont Group, Vacheron Constantin values excellence, collaboration, diversity, and long-term development, offering opportunities across watchmaking, design, heritage, retail, client experience, and corporate functions. Employees are invited to uphold a rare legacy while helping define the future of fine watchmaking.
A Richemont luxury watchmaking Maison seeks an experienced Movement Development Manager to oversee the complete lifecycle of movement development, from initial feasibility assessment through production. The successful candidate will lead a team of project managers, ensuring adherence to quality, timeline, and cost standards while championing technical innovation and compliance with Geneva Seal requirements. Based in Le Brassus with regular travel to Plan-les-Ouates, this role reports directly to the Technical Director and bridges creative vision with engineering excellence.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead a team of project managers overseeing the complete movement development cycle from upstream scoping to serial production
- Collaborate with Creative, Marketing, and Technical Innovation teams to identify new calibre development opportunities and translate aesthetic and functional concepts into technical specifications
- Conduct technical and economic feasibility studies to secure project launch decisions
- Establish and enforce rigorous project management standards including milestones, deliverables, and budgetary controls
- Proactively identify and remedy project deviations in timeline, cost, and quality; define mitigation plans and escalate to senior management as needed
- Supervise prototyping, testing, and certification phases to ensure technical reliability and Geneva Seal compliance
- Oversee the transition of projects to industrialization and production teams
- Drive continuous optimization of products in serial production including reliability improvements, cost reduction, and obsolescence resolution
Qualifications
- Engineering degree or advanced university qualification (Master's or Doctorate) specializing in Mechanics, Physics, or Microtechnology
- Proven expertise in movement or horological component development
- Extensive knowledge of the watchmaking supplier and subcontractor network
- Demonstrated mastery of project management methodologies and risk management frameworks
- Excellent synthesis and communication skills capable of translating complex technical issues for non-technical stakeholders
- Natural leadership ability to animate and align multidisciplinary teams
- Passion for horology with demonstrated curiosity in technological and competitive watchmaking trends
Skills
Experience
Confirmed and successful experience with strong involvement in the development of movements or horological components, including management of complex technical projects and cross-functional team leadership within a luxury watchmaking environment.
Education
Engineering degree or advanced university qualification (Master's or Doctorate) with specialization in Mechanics, Physics, or Microtechnology.
Workplace
This position is based in Le Brassus, Vaud, Switzerland, within easy reach of Geneva.
Explore jobs in Vaud or in Switzerland.
Culture
Vacheron Constantin fosters a workplace culture rooted in exceptional craftsmanship, heritage, and the continuous pursuit of horological excellence. As an employer, it values precision, transmission of expertise, and collaboration, offering an environment where employees contribute to a living legacy while advancing innovation in fine watchmaking.
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 Vacheron Constantin, 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 «Calibre Development Director», «Technical Development Lead», «Movement Engineering Manager», «Horological Development Supervisor», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.