- Location
- Cologne North Rhine-Westphalia Germany
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Manager
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- Nov 2, 2026
About Rimowa
Founded in Cologne in 1898, Rimowa stands as a benchmark of modern luxury travel, renowned for its iconic grooved aluminum suitcases and uncompromising German engineering. As an employer, the Maison offers a distinctive environment where heritage craftsmanship, industrial precision, design innovation, and elevated client experience converge. Part of the LVMH Group, Rimowa provides opportunities across product development, manufacturing, retail, digital, marketing, and corporate functions within an international culture shaped by excellence and forward movement. The brand seeks individuals who value quality, creativity, resilience, and meticulous execution, inviting them to contribute to objects designed not merely to accompany journeys, but to define them.
RIMOWA seeks a Production Manager for a permanent, full-time, on-site role in Cologne. The role leads operational production, maintenance, safety, quality, and production performance, while developing the organization and managing production and investment budgets; it requires at least 5 years in a senior production role in an industrial environment.
Role & Responsibilities
- Hold overall responsibility for operational production, including pre-production and final assembly, as well as maintenance.
- Ensure occupational health and safety through consistent compliance with legal and internal requirements, active risk reduction, role-model leadership, and development of a sustainable safety culture.
- Ensure manufacturing quality by consistently meeting defined standards, reducing scrap and rework, conducting systematic root-cause analysis, and standardizing processes.
- Consolidate and develop the newly established production organization through clear roles and responsibilities, effective leadership routines, robust communication and escalation channels, and standardized processes.
- Lead and develop the direct organization of eight department heads and one project lead reporting directly.
- Ensure consistent implementation of production plans; planning and scheduling are outside the role’s scope.
- Develop shopfloor management, including daily control, deviation management, escalation, and action tracking.
- Drive systematic productivity and cost improvements across all areas, such as OEE, setup times, and downtime.
- Lead Operational Excellence, Lean, TPM, and 6 Sigma initiatives, including sustainable implementation of new standards.
- Contribute to production-area budget planning and monitor adherence to production and investment budgets (OPEX/CAPEX), deriving corrective measures when deviations occur.
- Work closely with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and HR to achieve plant-level objectives.
Qualifications
- Degree in engineering, production engineering, mechanical engineering, or a comparable field.
- At least 5 years of experience in a senior production role in an industrial environment.
- Demonstrated strength in occupational health and safety (EHS) and in building an active safety culture, for example through safety walks, behavioral safety, and systematic root-cause analysis.
- Demonstrated strength in leadership, organizational development, and performance management.
- Very good knowledge of Lean, TPM, and 6 Sigma, with experience applying them on the shopfloor.
- Strong communication and assertiveness, high problem-solving ability, and a hands-on mentality.
- Experience in change management and in improving safety and quality.
- Fluent German and English.
Skills
Experience
At least 5 years in a senior production role in an industrial environment.
Education
Degree in engineering, production engineering, mechanical engineering, or a comparable field.
Workplace
This position is based in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Explore jobs in North Rhine-Westphalia or in Germany.
Benefits
30 days of paid annual leave; a RIMOWA Essential Cabin suitcase after the probationary period; Corporate Benefits and a 30% discount on the RIMOWA range; occupational pension provision with a high employer contribution or other capital-forming benefits; an on-site canteen serving freshly prepared, affordable lunches; subsidized Urban Sports Club membership, Deutschlandticket, and JobRad; an international environment and development opportunities within LVMH.
Culture
Rimowa fosters a workplace culture rooted in German engineering, precision craftsmanship, and a forward-looking spirit of innovation. As a global luxury house, it values collaboration, attention to detail, and entrepreneurial thinking, offering teams an environment where heritage and modern design come together to shape exceptional travel experiences.
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 Rimowa, 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 Production», «Manufacturing Manager», «Production Operations Manager», «Manufacturing Operations 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.