Richemont Project & Operation Excellence Lead
- Seniority
- Lead
- Department
- Supply Chain, Logistics & Inventory
- Industry
- Fine Watches & Horology
- Posted
- May 22, 2026
About Richemont
Richemont is a global luxury goods holding company comprising renowned maisons in watches, jewellery and high-end accessories. The group is recognised for its emphasis on heritage craftsmanship, artisanal manufacturing and maison-level autonomy, operating a matrix of brands that combine traditional savoir-faire with contemporary management practices.
Richemont seeks a Project & Operation Excellence Lead in Tokyo to drive operational improvement projects across its maisons.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead and deliver cross-functional projects that improve operational performance, efficiency and quality across manufacturing and supply-chain processes.
- Define, monitor and report performance KPIs and business cases; ensure measurable improvements in lead time, cost, quality and service levels.
- Design and implement continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping) and standardised operating procedures.
- Coordinate and influence stakeholders across production, supply chain, quality, purchasing and commercial teams to secure resources and align priorities.
- Drive change management activities including training, capability building and roll-out of best practices across sites and ateliers.
- Analyse operational data to identify root causes, prioritise opportunities and track benefit realisation; present findings to senior leadership.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, industrial management, operations, supply chain or equivalent; advanced degree (MSc/MBA) preferred.
- Certification in continuous improvement methodology (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma Black/Green Belt) or project management (PMP) preferred.
- Proven ability to lead complex, cross-functional projects and to influence at senior levels in a matrix organisation.
- Strong analytical aptitude with experience developing business cases and quantifying operational benefits.
- Familiarity with manufacturing or atelier environments in a premium or luxury goods context is highly desirable.
Skills
Experience
Senior professional with substantial operations and project delivery experience; typically 7–12 years in manufacturing, supply chain or operations improvement roles, with at least several years leading cross‑functional transformation programmes. Experience in premium/luxury manufacturing or similar regulated, quality‑driven environments is preferred.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, supply chain or related field; master’s degree or MBA advantageous.
Workplace
This position is based in Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Culture
Richemont fosters a culture that balances respect for traditional craftsmanship with a drive for operational excellence and innovation. The workplace values meticulous quality, collaborative problem‑solving across maisons and long‑term capability building to sustain artisanal standards at scale.
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 «Operational Excellence Lead», «Continuous Improvement Lead», «Process Improvement Lead», «Project Delivery Lead, Operations», «Lean Transformation Lead», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.