Category Director - Perfume & Cosmetics

Purpose: The Category Director – Perfumes and Cosmetics develops and executes the strategy of the assigned Premium categories and maximizing sales and profits for the Premium categories of business in both Duty Free and Duty Paid locations.  

Essential Functions: 

• Responsible for overseeing all aspects of the assigned Premium categories. Premium categories include Perfume and Cosmetics in both Duty Free and Duty Paid 

• Develops and implements assortment strategies, aligned with overall category strategy and objectives of North American business. 

• Execute strategies for the launch of new brands in travel retail in line with the global team 

• Establish global annual sales targets ensuring that commit the appropriate level of inventory, marketing and sales incentive programs as appropriate for the brands 

• Support brand standards training with Operations to ensure visual merchandising, product knowledge and customer service are in line with brand owner requirements 

• Leads Buying professionals in the development and implementation of category management strategies that align with company objectives and customer needs 

• Establishes multiyear growth strategies in margin and sales for assigned categories 

• Directs all aspects of product assortments in both Duty Free and Duty Paid for assigned categories, including, but not limited to, the product selection, plan-o-grams, orders and inventory management, sales and margin review, supplier relations, and market research 

• Works in partnership with Global Perfumes & Cosmetics team to oversee vendor relationships, contract negotiation, and compliance with company policies and procedures to secure favorable agreements to enhance the company’s competitive edge 

• Leads Buying professionals in the sourcing of and negotiating with regional premium brand and new local brands for Duty Free and Duty Paid by market 

• Researches current global and regional trends in shopping behavior and shares knowledge within the organization 

• Provides input to pricing, promotion, assortment, and commercial policies 

• Negotiates with vendors on support for beauty advisors and promoters, ensures correct billing information is communicated to Operations and Finance. 

• Drives category performance through correct and complete implementation of the agreed category strategy during the commercial plan 

• Supervises local product category management in the countries and identifies and reports local needs for customization of assortment, promotion, and pricing planning 

Interdependencies: Global Store Design, Marketing & Communications, Business Development, Supply Chain, Retail Operations 

Reporting Relationship: The Category Director – Perfume & Cosmetics reports to the VP Commercial Strategy 

Minimum Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills, and Work Environment:  

• Education and Experience: The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 8 years: 

• In a leadership role: Requires 3 years of experience leading a senior level team of category management of luxury and international brand professionals engaged in developing and executing high end retail programs. 

• In a technical role: Requires 8 years of buying experience in international brands or duty free retail experience engaged in developing and delivering perfume and cosmetics programs.   

• A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the eight-year requirement 

• An MBA or a master’s level degree in a program related to the functional area can count for an additional 2 years of the eight-year requirement  

• In the industry: 3-5 years of travel or luxury retail experience 

• Specialized Training:  

• Training that leads to an in-depth understanding of the buying and category management 

• Specialized Skillset/Competencies/Traits: 

• Ability to establish and maintain strong and lasting relationships with vendors  

• Advanced business acumen and also has the strategic mindset required to understand the long-term implications of buying and category management decisions and to advance the organization’s goals 

• Demonstrated history of anticipating the needs of the business and complex stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstances 

• Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments through coaching, developing, and leading teams to achieve common goals 

• Demonstrated experience exhibiting a continuous improvement mindset with the ability to optimize work processes and achieve positive results 

• Travel/Location: 

• This role may be located at e North America Support Center in East Rutherford, NJ or the  

Regional Support Office in Toronto, Canada 

• This role requires up to 40% travel to airport locations