Watch Development Project Manager

Overview

Louis Vuitton is a global luxury Maison within the LVMH group, recognised for combining artisanal savoir‑faire with contemporary creativity across leather goods, fashion and watchmaking. La Fabrique du Temps is the brand’s dedicated watch atelier in the Geneva area, concentrating watch design, movement development and assembly under one roof and operating with a sustained commitment to environmental management.

Role & Responsibilities

• Manage end‑to‑end product development from requirement definition through market launch, ensuring delivery on quality, cost and schedule targets.
• Translate product briefs into technical specifications in close collaboration with the design studio and movement/case engineering teams.
• Coordinate cross‑functional stakeholders (design, engineering, quality, procurement, suppliers and external ateliers) and steer decision making throughout feasibility studies and prototype phases.
• Define, validate and manage supplier dossiers; source and qualify craftsmen and suppliers in partnership with Purchasing and Quality.
• Oversee prototyping activities and pilot first articles, ensuring timely iterations and technical problem resolution.
• Control development budgets and monitor development costs (tooling, prototypes) to protect target cost of goods.
• Develop and maintain project schedules with defined milestones; provide weekly reporting to management.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance to plan and execute component homologation, inspections and release criteria.
• Propose technical and aesthetic improvements, conduct technological watch and recommend new materials or production techniques.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ experience in product development project management, with proven responsibility for delivering complex products.
• Professional experience in the watchmaking industry is required.
• Familiarity with PLM/engineering systems such as Windchill, ERP systems such as SAP, and RationalK is an asset.
• Strong influence and change‑management capability; proven ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills, assertiveness and active listening; high emotional intelligence in pressured, ambiguous contexts.
• Solution‑oriented, results driven, with initiative and the capacity to prioritise across concurrent projects.

Skills

Experience

At least 5 years of progressive responsibility in product development project management, including hands‑on experience in the watch industry and management of suppliers, prototypes and development budgets.

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in engineering, micro‑mechanics, watchmaking, industrial design or a related technical discipline preferred.

Culture

La Fabrique du Temps combines haute‑horlogerie tradition with a modern, innovation‑driven mindset. The workplace values meticulous craftsmanship, interdisciplinary collaboration and continuous improvement, operating within the broader LVMH luxury ecosystem and with attention to environmental management practices.