Quality Assurance Lead

Overview

Chanel is an independent French luxury house renowned for haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, watches, and beauty and fragrance houses. The brand is celebrated for its heritage, meticulous craftsmanship and creative leadership in luxury. As an employer, Chanel emphasizes excellence, artisanal skill and long-term investment in talent across product, retail and corporate functions.

Role & Responsibilities

• Define and deploy the domain quality strategy and road map aligned with product objectives and corporate quality standards.
• Lead cross‑functional quality initiatives spanning design, sourcing, industrialization and production to ensure product compliance and reliability.
• Manage supplier quality assurance activities, including supplier selection, qualification, on‑site audits and corrective action plans (CAPA).
• Oversee non‑conformance management and formal problem‑solving processes (8D, root cause analysis), driving timely containment and robust preventive measures.
• Establish and monitor quality KPIs, metrics and reporting to senior stakeholders; recommend continuous improvement actions.
• Maintain and evolve the Quality Management System (QMS) and ensure readiness for internal and external audits.
• Coach and mentor a team of quality engineers/specialists, fostering technical capability and cross‑disciplinary collaboration.
• Support product launches and industrialization activities with risk assessments (FMEA), control plans and inspection strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, textile technology, materials science or a related discipline; advanced technical qualification preferred.
• Professional certification or training in quality methodologies (Six Sigma, CQE, APQP or equivalent) is highly desirable.
• Proven leadership capabilities with strong stakeholder management and project governance skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving aptitude, with structured approach to risk management and continuous improvement.
• Fluency in business communication and the ability to present complex technical information to non‑technical stakeholders.

Skills

Experience

Minimum 5 years of progressive quality assurance experience within luxury goods, apparel, leather goods or related manufacturing environments, including significant exposure to supplier quality, product industrialization and cross‑functional program leadership.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, textile technology, materials or equivalent; advanced or specialized quality certifications preferred.

Culture

Chanel cultivates a culture of craftsmanship, discretion and uncompromising quality, blending creativity with rigorous technical standards. The work environment prizes collaboration across design, production and commercial teams and rewards long‑term thinking and attention to detail.