Director, Category Management

Position

Director, Category Management

Profile

At Sephora, beauty is about feeling seen, valued, and empowered, individually and collectively. It is connecting deeply with others, celebrating diversity and inclusivity, unlocking your potential and making a difference every day. Together, we belong to something beautiful.

Sephora SEA’s omni channel business spans over 8 countries (Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand) with 100+ stores and boasts some global flagships such as ION and Raffles City in Singapore, F88 in Kuala Lumpur and Pitt Street in Sydney. Sephora SEA is experiencing rapid growth in the region with new store openings and business channels (i.e., Click and collect and marketplace).

Director, Category Management 

As a Director, Category Management, you will lead and define category strategy to optimize growth, trends, and white space, driving maximum growth, space productivity, profitability, and strong 360 campaigns for category penetration. You will manage the brand portfolio to drive differentiation, prioritizing Surge and Exclusive brands while balancing strategic partnerships with key selective brand groups. This role includes managing supplier relationships, commercial negotiations, joint business planning (including animations), assortment optimization, productivity, clear pricing principles, and a robust calendar for existing brands and new brand launches. Additionally, you will collaborate with Supply Chain for effective planning and forecasting.

You will shine here if you enjoy…

• Defining and leading SEA category strategy for defined categories based on market trends, consumer insights, and sales data, to optimize growth, space productivity, profitability and strong 360 campaigns to support key natures to gain category penetration

• Negotiating, influencing, and managing communication with Market Merchandising teams to ensure effective collaboration in implementing category strategy
• Leading brand portfolio by driving differentiation with priority on Surge and Exclusive brands
• Balancing strategic partnerships with key selective brand groups as well as building and maintaining strong supplier relationships
• Leading commercial negotiations
• Conducting joint business planning (including animations), optimizing assortment and productivity, and establishing clear pricing principles
• Developing a robust calendar of existing brands and planning meaningful and incremental new brand launches
• Full management responsibility including the management of a team of managers and professionals, planning for the team’s future needs and operations
• Ensuring the team’s performance, development, succession, and career advancement plans are in place through regular talent reviews and collaboration
• Collaborating with Supply Chain on effective planning and forecasting to achieve brand targets and healthy stock levels

We would love to hear from you if you are/have…

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, or a related field
• Strong experience in category management, retail buying, or a related field
• Experience in building category strategies based on market trends, consumer insights, and data analytics
• Proven track record in developing and implementing category strategies to drive growth, profitability, and market penetration
• Experience in managing brand portfolios, including supplier relationships, commercial negotiations, and joint business planning
• Proficiency in negotiation of complex commercial agreements
• Strong background in assortment optimization, pricing strategies, and managing product lifecycles
• Experience in collaborating with Supply Chain teams for effective planning and forecasting
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor and coach teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present effectively to senior stakeholders
• Solid understanding of budgeting, financial analysis, and P&L management
• Ability to effectively drive change and innovation with a customer-centric approach
• Stakeholder management and influencing skills in a multi-cultural environment

Here, you will find:

• Community, in which authenticity is embraced, and the strength of our differences fuels our collective spirit

• Culture of empowerment, learning & growth, that offers you the tools, space and opportunity to learn, innovate and lead

• Work that brings fulfilment, from delighting clients every day, to inspiring our industry at large, every action makes a difference

It is in the Sephora DNA to champion a world of inspiration and inclusion where everyone can celebrate their beauty. You can be yourself, because you are what sets us apart. Join us and belong to something beautiful.

Sephora is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace for all. We do not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, advancement, or other employment practices. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating and fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.