Industrialisation & Quality Assurance Manager – Leather Goods

DeMellier London Ltd; City of London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A luxury fashion brand in London is seeking an Industrialisation & Quality Assurance Manager. This role involves leading the industrialisation of handbags, ensuring high-quality production, and collaborating with suppliers to enhance processes. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in leather goods production, technical knowledge, and strong project management skills. An annual leave package and a hybrid working policy are part of the benefits offered.

Benefits

Hybrid-working policy with flexible hours

Annual leave package with additional days based on service

Enhanced maternity policy

Time off for charity volunteering

Employee discount on products

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in handbag or leather goods industrialisation.
• Knowledge of product development cycles and costing structures.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings and BOMs.

Responsibilities

• Lead industrialisation process for handbags and small leather goods.
• Collaborate with suppliers to improve production processes.
• Manage and oversee industrialisation team.

Skills

Handbag or leather goods industrialisation/production management

Technical knowledge of leather types

Supplier relationship management

Project management abilities

Proficiency in Excel and PLM/ERP systems

Job description

Industrialisation & Quality Assurance Manager – Leather Goods

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 Beyoncé, Irina Shayk, Emily Blunt, and January Jones.

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 Marché 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

• 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.
• 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

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Contract

Job function

Quality Assurance and Production

Industries

Retail Luxury Goods and Jewelry and Leather Product Manufacturing

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at DeMellier by 2x