Yves Saint Laurent Footwear Product Development Technician
- Seniority
- Senior
- Industry
- Fashion, Apparel & Leather Goods
- Posted
- Apr 29, 2026
About Yves Saint Laurent
Saint Laurent is an iconic Parisian luxury fashion house renowned for its modern, couture-driven aesthetic and high-end ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear. The maison is part of the Kering group and operates within a fast-paced luxury environment that values craftsmanship, creative direction, and technical excellence across product disciplines.
Saint Laurent — Footwear Product Development Technician in Vigonza, Italy. Senior role managing prototype development, suppliers and technical handover.
Role & Responsibilities
- Manage development of structures required for prototypes and samples for the women’s footwear segment, translating style office inputs into producible solutions within budget and collection timelines.
- Prepare and finalise technical product specifications and tech packs following design review.
- Define component information and transmit specifications to suppliers; support and monitor supplier progress (leather works, sole makers, heel manufacturers, etc.).
- Liaise with footwear factories to ensure prototypes and samples conform to stylistic inputs and manufacturing technical requirements; monitor sample progress.
- Ensure adherence to product development calendar and delivery deadlines for prototypes and samples.
- Collaborate with Product Development to provide data for bill of materials (BOM) coding and product codification.
- Work with Materials R&D to identify the most appropriate materials for each style.
- Coordinate with Industrialisation and Quality teams to provide the technical data necessary for the handover from sample to industrialised product.
Qualifications
- Specialised vocational diploma in footwear technology (pattern maker/structurist) preferred.
- Minimum five years’ experience in a similar footwear technical development role.
- Familiarity with footwear production processes and components is highly desirable.
- Strong orientation to achieving objectives and meeting development timelines.
- Good command of English.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively within cross-functional teams.
- Flexible and willing to travel domestically and internationally as required.
Skills
Experience
At least five years of hands-on experience in footwear product/technical development, with demonstrated responsibility for prototype follow-up, supplier management and cross-functional collaboration in a high-end fashion or footwear environment.
Education
Specialised vocational diploma in footwear (pattern making/structural design) preferred; equivalent technical qualification or degree in fashion/product technology will be considered.
Workplace
This position is based in Vigonza, Veneto, Italy, within easy reach of Padua.
Culture
Saint Laurent cultivates a creative, craft-focused workplace that combines Parisian design rigour with industrial excellence. The maison operates within Kering’s luxury network and values diversity, inclusion and the wide-ranging perspectives that strengthen its adaptive, international teams.
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 Yves Saint Laurent, 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 «Footwear Technical Developer», «Shoe Development Specialist», «Footwear Prototype Technician», «Technical Development Specialist — Footwear», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.