Technical Engineering Manager

Introduction At Burberry, we believe creativity opens spaces. Our purpose is to unlock the power of imagination to push boundaries and open new possibilities for our people, our customers and our communities. This is the core belief that has guided Burberry since it was founded in 1856 and is central to how we operate as a company today. We aim to provide an environment for creative minds from different backgrounds to thrive, bringing a wide range of skills and experiences to everything we do. As a purposeful, values‑driven brand, we are committed to being a force for good in the world as well, creating the next generation of sustainable luxury for customers, driving industry change and championing our communities. Job Purpose To lead the Product Engineering team for the Soft Accessories category, responsible for managing the technical team to work in collaboration with the product design, development and raw materials teams to ensure that products are executed to specification by internal partners and external vendors to ensure that Burberry’s quality standards are adhered to. This role reports into the Senior Manager, Product Development Softs. Responsibilities Lead the team to identify opportunities to achieve operational excellence, benchmark against competitors, support and encourage the team to embrace organizational change, continuous improvement and lean projects. Continuously review opportunities for process improvements and champion the use of innovation and technology. Monitor and review the team’s weekly/monthly performance against agreed KPIs and objectives, work with individual team members to agree and review objectives and personal development plans, taking action as needed to rectify under‑performance. Instigate actions to rectify under‑achievement as appropriate. Champion communication, diversity and inclusion initiatives and continuously seek to improve engagement and wellbeing across the team. Collaborate and build relationships with corporate cross‑functional teams. Lead the team to support the end‑to‑end process from launch to delivery in terms of quality, fit, grading and construction while taking full accountability from showroom/market stage for industrialisation. Undertake risk assessments for all product safety and global legislation requirements for materials and assess suitability in relation to construction and functionality. Understand CHW safety regulations, SRA, TOP sample process to ensure compliance at vendor sites. Measure products and enter comments and technical specifications into the PLM system, provide clear guidance to vendors on required alterations. Send accurate and timely technical comments, graded specs for production, technical sketches and diagrams, and liaise with vendors on a daily basis at pp and production stage. Identify opportunities for cost engineering to help improve and/or maintain margin. Manage the product testing process with external test houses during development to advise care label/disclaimers and resolve test failures, reviewing prior approvals and returns data as evidence for decision making. Ensure consistency of quality across the category and throughout the size range. Attend and lead meetings, working cross‑functionally with teams including design, product development, merchandise and sourcing. Create and update product construction and standards manuals for key product families. Monitor returns from stores, hub failures and sales feedback, NPS. Establish reasons for returns and implement lessons learnt to prevent re‑occurring issues. Respond to customer complaints within SLA directly in C4C system to maintain CSAT scores. Personal Profile Product engineering experience within the apparel/non‑apparel sector, ideally within the fashion industry. Previous experience of leading a multi‑functional team. Familiar with lean ways of working & methodology. Proficient in MS Office applications. Strong leadership & coaching skills: Excellent communication, influencing and listening skills. Organised, efficient and delivery focused. Commercial approach. Ability to develop strong relationships with peers and cross‑functional business partners. Measures of Success Performance will be measured against the KPIs and objectives defined in the product engineering roadmap and the quality and cost targets of the Soft Accessories category. Footer Burberry is an Equal Opportunities Employer and as such, treats all applications equally and recruits purely on the basis of skills and experience. #J-18808-Ljbffr