Industrialisation & Quality Assurance Manager – Leather Goods

About DeMellier: DeMellier is a fast-growing award-winning designer fashion brand based in London. DeMellier has been awarded twice by the British Luxury Association WALPOLE, recognising its commitment to innovation, craftsmanship and the highest standards of quality. Its handbags have become a favourite among women all over the world, including celebrities such as Beyonce, Irina Shayk, Emily Blunt, and January Jones among others. In addition to its direct-to-consumer business, DeMellier is stocked in leading department stores such as Net-a-Porter, Selfridges, Saks Fifth Avenue and Le Bon Marche among others. Beyond creating beautiful products, DeMellier’s mission is to be a force of positive influence in the fashion industry. Creating products by women for women, made with integrity while giving back to those less fortunate. For every item sold DeMellier funds vaccines and medical treatments aimed to save the life of a child in need.

The role: You will be responsible for leading the industrialisation process for handbags and small leather goods, ensuring product designs are efficiently and consistently translated into scalable, high-quality, cost-effective production. Act as the technical interface between Design, Product Development, Production, and Suppliers to guarantee feasibility, quality, and manufacturability.

Main Responsibilities:

• New Product Industrialisation
• Manage and oversee industrialisation of any new handbag from PPS to TDS pre-bulk approval.
• Lead pilot runs and pre-production trials, analysing results and implementing improvements before bulk production.
• Recommend enhancements, construction, and material options to elevate our brand while meeting financial targets – ensuring no issue with mass production of styles/materials.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives within the production network.
• Technical Review & Product Feasibility
• Review and validate technical packs and patterns against PPS – ensuring accuracy and manufacturability.
• Responsible for plastic patterns and production knives co-sign-off with PD in line with approved PPS.
• Define and optimise production methods, processes, and assembly flows to meet quality, cost, consumption/rating, and lead-time targets.
• Identify and communicate any quality control concerns and implement processes to ensure the highest standards – all to be recorded in QC/TDS Packs.
• Optimise product costing through process improvements and technical adjustments to facilitate manufacturability and mass production.
• Bill of Materials (BOM) & Documentation
• Review BOMs for all new styles and ensure all BOMs for existing styles are accurate and update with any changes/improvements implemented in industrialisation.
• Document and standardise best practices, assembly instructions, and technical guidelines – QC/TDS Packs.
• Ensure compliance with internal quality standards, SOPs, and regulatory requirements.
• Keep the wider team informed of any product changes.
• Supplier Support & Quality Implementation
• Collaborate closely with suppliers, providing technical support and solutions to improve production processes and product consistency.
• Manage the FG - Product Quality Assurance Testing Packs & Parameters Setting – part of standards and parameters setting.
• Organise, lead, and prepare Production Handover meetings – and train QC Inspectors on standards, product specifications, and QC parameters.
• Organisation & Workflow Tracking
• In charge of creating and leading the Critical Path for the Industrialisation stage from PPS all the way to TDS in collaboration with Design, Production, and factories.
• Assuring critical dates, deadlines, and priorities are communicated with teams and factories.
• Sink, track, and oversee the Industrialization Tracker for all factories – updating status for every product stage: PPS approval status / Testing & Performance Status / Production Handover Status / TDS approval status.
• Inform relevant teams when PPS is signed off and TDS approved.
• Communicate timeline conflicts, priorities, quality risks, changes, and action items daily.
• Organise regular meetings to review the PPS & TDS tracker with PD and Production.
• Develop and implement factory scorecards on a seasonal basis and performance rates – part of yearly factory strategy review.
• People and team management
• Manage the industrialisation team

Skills & Experience Required:

• Proven experience (5+ years) in handbag or leather goods industrialisation/production management.
• In-depth technical knowledge of leather types, handbag construction, and assembly techniques.
• Experience working with Italian and Spanish and/or European luxury factories.
• Strong knowledge of product development cycles, costing structures, and technical problem-solving.
• Confident in interpreting technical drawings, patterns, BOMs, and prototypes.
• Effective communicator and skilled in supplier relationship management.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organisational and project management abilities.
• Proficiency in Excel, PLM/ERP systems, and technical documentation.

Benefits

• Hybrid-working policy offering flexible hours
• Annual Leave package with additional LOS days based on time with the company
• Enhanced company maternity policy
• Time given yearly to volunteer for a charity of your choice
• Employee Discount: 50% off stock discount & up to 90% off seasonal sample sales