Surface Treatment Specialist
Cartier — Le Locle: Surface Treatment Specialist required to lead coating and finishing processes at the Maison's precision manufacturing site.
Overview
Cartier is a globally recognised maison of high jewellery and watchmaking, known for exceptional craftsmanship and timeless design. As part of the Richemont group, Cartier combines artisanal heritage with rigorous industrial standards and a commitment to innovation and quality across its manufacturing sites.
Role & Responsibilities
- Serve as the technical reference for surface treatment processes across production lines, ensuring consistent application of coatings and finishes.
- Develop, validate and optimize surface finishing processes (electroplating, PVD, passivation, anodizing and chemical treatments) to meet aesthetic and functional specifications.
- Define and maintain process documentation, work instructions and control plans; ensure traceability and compliance with internal quality standards.
- Lead root-cause analysis and corrective actions for surface defects, implementing preventive measures and continuous-improvement initiatives.
- Collaborate with production, quality, R&D and external suppliers to qualify materials, baths and equipment; oversee supplier performance where relevant.
- Specify, commission and maintain process control and metrology equipment (surface roughness measurement, coating thickness gauges, spectrophotometry) and ensure calibration.
- Ensure adherence to environmental, health and safety requirements related to chemical handling, waste treatment and regulatory constraints.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or technical diploma in materials science, metallurgy, chemical engineering or equivalent technical qualification.
- Demonstrable expertise in surface finishing technologies (electroplating, PVD, passivation, anodizing) and process control.
- Strong knowledge of quality systems and methodologies (e.g., FMEA, SPC) applied to surface treatment processes.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical projects and to translate laboratory methods into robust production processes.
- Fluent technical report-writing skills and experience maintaining regulatory and production documentation.
Skills
Experience
Several years of hands-on experience in industrial surface treatment or finishing, ideally within watchmaking, jewellery, precision components or luxury goods production. Demonstrated track record of process optimization, defect reduction and cross-functional technical leadership.
Education
Bachelor's degree or technical diploma in materials science, metallurgy, chemical engineering or equivalent.
Culture
Cartier fosters a culture that balances artisanal excellence with industrial discipline; teams value meticulous attention to detail, respect for heritage craftsmanship and a collaborative approach to technical problem‑solving. The workplace emphasizes continuous improvement, quality and discretion appropriate to a luxury manufacturing environment.