Materials Development Manager — Luxury Shoes

BoF Careers; Toscana; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Burberry is seeking an experienced Raw Materials Development Specialist to manage material development from concept through production. You will collaborate with Design and Sourcing, liaising with mills, vendors and internal teams to translate creative direction into manufacturable materials.

The role requires strong vendor management, critical path planning, and budget awareness, with on-site collaboration and deep knowledge of materials used in luxury footwear and leather goods.

Qualifications

• Ability to work in partnership with Designer and Technicians, translating creative vision into actionable plans.
• Technical capability and product knowledge with ability to influence the Design team and provide on-the-spot solutions.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, delivering clear briefs and leveraging relationships to meet demands.
• Critical path management to ensure collections are delivered on time and risks are mitigated.
• Able to manage within a budget with commercial awareness and understanding of product cost.
• Demonstrated expert technical product knowledge, including shoes.
• On-site collaboration with vendors and operational knowledge of factories.
• Excellent communication skills to negotiate and work with cross-functional teams.
• Strong fashion sense and knowledge of trends in luxury markets.

Responsibilities

• Building and maintaining a close partnership with Design; act as technical partner for design and material meetings.
• Develop relationships with vendors; understand capability and availability to meet demands.
• Research and development of new raw material concepts and technologies; manage samples and colorways.
• Define raw material development critical path; ensure deadlines and resolve issues to completion.
• Order and deliver raw materials on time, within quality standards and budget margins.
• Ensure functionality and standardisation; assess risks during development.
• Collaborate with Operations during collection development for testing to standards; negotiate aesthetic changes.
• Support production meetings and vendor follow-ups for proto and sample readiness.
• Keep PLM updated with 100% accuracy.

Skills

Vendor management

Critical path management

Budget awareness

Technical product knowledge

Communication skills

Fashion luxury knowledge

Tools

PLM

Excel

Job description

Burberry is seeking an experienced Raw Materials Development Specialist to manage material development from concept through production. You will collaborate with Design and Sourcing, liaising with mills, vendors and internal teams to translate creative direction into manufacturable materials.

The role requires strong vendor management, critical path planning, and budget awareness, with on-site collaboration and deep knowledge of materials used in luxury footwear and leather goods.