Van Cleef & Arpels Chef d'Atelier
- Location
- Seniority
- Manager
- Industry
- High Jewelry
- Posted
- Apr 22, 2026
About Van Cleef & Arpels
Van Cleef & Arpels is a Parisian maison renowned for its high-jewelry savoir-faire and poetic approach to design. Part of the Richemont group, the maison combines artisanal bench skills with rigorous quality standards and a global clientele, sustaining ateliers that preserve traditional techniques alongside selective innovation.
Van Cleef & Arpels seeks a Chef d'Atelier in Lyon to lead the jewellery workshop, overseeing craftsmanship, production and team development.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead and organise daily operations of the Lyon jewellery atelier, ensuring production schedules, deadlines and delivery commitments are met.
- Supervise, mentor and develop a multidisciplinary team of artisans (goldsmiths, setters, polishers, engravers), allocating tasks according to skill and capacity.
- Guarantee the highest standards of craftsmanship and finish through hands-on quality control and final inspection of pieces.
- Collaborate closely with design, prototyping and quality departments to translate creative intent into manufacturable solutions while preserving artistic integrity.
- Maintain workshop equipment, tooling and consumable inventories; implement preventive maintenance and ensure availability of critical materials.
- Enforce health, safety and regulatory compliance within the atelier and promote best practices in workplace organisation (5S, lean principles where applicable).
- Identify skills gaps and coordinate training programmes and technical certification for bench staff; recruit specialist artisans as required.
Qualifications
- Professional diploma or recognised qualification in jewellery making, goldsmithing, metalwork or equivalent artisanal craft training.
- Proven leadership experience in a high-jewellery or luxury jewellery workshop; typically a minimum of 5 years in senior bench or supervisory roles.
- Deep technical mastery of jewellery-making techniques including soldering, forming, stone setting and finishing.
- Strong eye for detail, exemplary standards in finishing and a track record of delivering faultless, client-ready pieces.
- Familiarity with workshop safety standards, hallmarking requirements and materials handling for precious metals and gemstones.
Skills
Experience
Extensive hands-on experience in jewellery benchwork with progressive responsibility leading teams in a luxury or haute-joaillerie atelier; demonstrable history of managing production workflows, meeting strict quality standards and delivering complex, bespoke pieces.
Education
Diploma or vocational qualification in jewellery making, goldsmithing or a related craft; certifications in specialised techniques or gemology are advantageous.
Workplace
This position is based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France.
Culture
Van Cleef & Arpels cultivates an atelier culture that values time-honoured craftsmanship, meticulous attention to detail and discretion. Collaboration between artisans and creative teams is central; the workplace rewards technical excellence, mentoring and stewardship of heritage skills.
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 Van Cleef & Arpels, 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 Atelier», «Workshop Manager», «Atelier Supervisor», «Master Bench Jeweller», «Lead Goldsmith», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.