Head of Garment Technician

Hunkemöller; Deerfield (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 Days of Annual Leave

Hybrid Work Model

Work From Abroad

International Work Environment

Partial Travel Allowance

Hunkemöller Academy

Employee Discounts

Job summary

Hunkemöller is seeking a Head of Technical to lead the end‑to‑end Technical function, ensuring fit, quality, sustainability and regulatory compliance across the full product lifecycle. You will partner with Buying, Design, Merchandising, Operations, ESG initiatives and supplier partners to embed standards, drive right‑first‑time development and accelerate speed to market.

The role focuses on embedding the Technical Toolbox as the single source of truth, building capability, and delivering

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in fashion retail tech environments.
• Strong governance across fit, materials, testing and supplier readiness.
• Proven ability to translate business needs into scalable technical standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end Technical function with clear standards and governance.
• Embed technical excellence across fit, construction, materials and sustainability.
• Ensure involvement from concept to supplier onboarding and go-to-market.
• Govern the Technical Toolbox as the single source of truth for development.

Skills

Senior leadership

Technical governance

Product lifecycle

Stakeholder management

English fluency

Tools

Digital tools

Supplier onboarding platforms

Job description

Your role

As Head of Technical, you will be accountable for technical excellence across the full product lifecycle. You will lead the Technical function and ensure that fit, quality, performance, sustainability, compliance, and technical governance are embedded from the earliest stages of product creation through to supplier execution and successful go-to-market delivery.

You will work closely with Buying, Design, Merchandising, Operations, Supply Chain, CSR/ESG and supplier partners to ensure technical standards are clear, scalable and commercially supportive. Your role is to position Technical as a strategic business partner: enabling right-first-time development, speed to market, margin optimization, supplier flexibility, customer satisfaction, reduced returns and stronger product consistency.

You will also play a key role in strengthening how we work: embedding the Technical Toolbox as the single source of truth, improving critical path discipline, building supplier readiness, and driving innovation across fit, materials, construction, digital tools and product performance.

What you will do

• Lead and develop the end-to-end Technical function, setting clear standards, priorities, governance and ways of working across product development, sourcing and delivery.


• Own and embed technical excellence across fit, grading, construction, materials, testing, quality, sustainability, compliance and supplier readiness.


• Ensure Technical is involved from the earliest stages of product creation, including product concepts, fit strategy, material selection, technical packs and supplier briefing.


• Own the governance, adoption and continuous improvement of the Technical Toolbox, ensuring it becomes the single source of truth for product development and supplier execution.


• Drive on-time product delivery by ensuring technical milestones, fit approvals, supplier readiness and technical execution support the critical path and successful go-to-market delivery.


• Use customer insight, returns data, wear-and-wash results and quality performance to continuously improve product standards and customer outcomes.


• Partner closely with Buying and Design to support cost optimization, material consolidation, value engineering and supplier flexibility, while protecting fit, quality and product performance.


• Strengthen supplier capability through clear technical standards, onboarding requirements, construction methods, material choices and hands‑on supplier partnerships.


• Lead technical readiness for supplier onboarding, supplier transitions and sourcing diversification, ensuring flexibility without compromising fit, quality or customer experience.


• Drive product, fit, material and construction innovation through supplier collaboration, technical experimentation, customer insight and the smart use of digital tools and new technologies.


• Embed sustainability, CSR and regulatory requirements into technical standards, materials and product development in a practical and future‑ready way.


• Act as a senior cross‑functional partner to Buying, Design, Merchandising, Operations, Supply Chain, CSR/ESG, E‑commerce, Marketing, Legal and supplier partners.


• Lead, coach and develop a multidisciplinary technical team, building capability, accountability, succession strength and a culture of continuous improvement.


• Translate business, product and customer requirements into scalable technical standards, clear decision rights and practical ways of working across categories and suppliers.


• Drive continuous improvement through standardization, simplification and digitalization of technical processes, reducing rework and improving right‑first‑time execution.

What you bring

• Significant senior technical leadership experience within fashion retail, ideally within lingerie, intimate apparel or another fit‑critical product category.


• Deep expertise in garment construction, fit, grading, materials, testing, quality management and product development.


• Strong understanding of end‑to‑end product lifecycle management, supplier onboarding, technical governance, critical path management and go‑to‑market execution.


• Proven experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and building capability through transformation, change and continuous improvement.


• A strong commercial mindset, with the ability to connect technical decisions to speed to market, margin, supplier flexibility, customer satisfaction and returns performance.


• Experience working with international suppliers and production environments, including supplier capability building, technical readiness and supplier transition management.


• Strong analytical capability, using customer feedback, returns data, quality performance and technical insights to guide decisions and improve outcomes.


• Experience embedding technical standards, governance frameworks, digital tools and new ways of working in a complex organization.


• Proven ability to influence and align senior stakeholders across Buying, Design, Merchandising, Operations, Supply Chain, CSR/ESG and supplier partners.


• Clear decision‑making, communication and leadership skills in a fast‑paced international environment.


• A practical, hands‑on leadership style combined with the ability to set strategic direction and build long‑term technical capability.


• Fluency in English.

Why join us?

This is a unique opportunity to take a senior leadership role in a brand where technical capability has a direct impact on customer confidence, product quality and business growth. You will help shape how Hunkemöller develops and delivers product, strengthening our technical foundations while driving innovation, speed, consistency and commercial impact.

You will lead a specialist function at an important moment in our product journey, with the opportunity to build scalable standards, strengthen supplier partnerships, improve right‑first‑time development and make Technical a visible strategic partner to the business.

If you are ready to lead with expertise, influence and ambition — and help build the future of product excellence at Hunkemöller — we would love to hear from you.

Benefits:

• 25 Days of Annual Leave: As a full‑time employee, you will receive 25 days of paid holiday each year, with the flexibility to buy or sell up to 4 additional days to meet personal needs.


• Hybrid Work Model: We offer a flexible hybrid work environment, enabling you to seamlessly balance office and remote work to enhance productivity and work‑life balance.


• Work From Abroad: Take advantage of the opportunity to work remotely from abroad for up to 2 weeks annually.


• International Work Environment : Join a dynamic, global team that fosters collaboration and cultural diversity, providing you with a rich and inclusive professional experience.


• Partial Travel Allowance: Benefit from a partial travel allowance to support your commuting costs, ensuring your journey to and from work is more affordable.


• Hunkemöller Academy : Gain access to our Hunkemöller Academy, offering a wide range of professional development programs to support your career growth and skill enhancement.


• Employee Discounts : Enjoy a 25% discount on all company products

Interested?

Are you ready to bring your technical leadership, product expertise and commercial mindset to Hunkemöller? help us shape the next chapter of technical excellence.

We are not looking to work with external agencies. Any unsolicited sharing of CVs will be considered a NO FEE applicant.

At Hunkemöller, product is at the heart of everything we do. As one of Europe’s leading lingerie brands, we are on a journey to strengthen our product experience even further — with fit, quality, performance, sustainability and innovation playing a critical role in how we serve our customers.

We are looking for an inspiring and commercially minded Head of Technical to lead our end‑to‑end Technical function and help shape the next phase of our product journey. This is a senior leadership role for someone who combines deep technical expertise with strong business understanding, supplier partnership, customer insight, and the ability to lead change in a fast‑moving international fashion‑retail environment.