THE ROLE & THE TEAM: 

As a Category Manager in Beauty, you will join a high-performing, driven team dedicated to shaping the future of Beauty at Zalando. Fragrance represents one of our fastest-growing categories, carrying an exceptionally strategic portfolio and managing critical global stakeholders. Taking direct ownership of your brand portfolio, you will develop innovative strategies to acquire target partners and drive ambitious growth within our Fragrance unit. Alongside managing high level global stakeholders, you will take direct ownership of both your highly strategic brand portfolio, and unit, with support of leadership and Category Planning  deliver on key unit KPIs.

WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• Drive Portfolio Excellence: Take proactive ownership of your high-impact brand portfolio, determining commercial strategy and identifying emerging Haircare trends to ensure a competitive assortment offer. 
• Strategic Brand Acquisition: Support our New Partnerships team in hunting and onboarding key and emerging brands to drive continued industry credibility, leveraging market insights to amplify visibility and recruit new consumer segments. 
• Partner for Performance: Collaborate closely with Category Planning to define strategy, manage budgets, and take data-driven actions based on KPIs to maximize unit profit.
• Master Negotiations: Build your expertise to negotiate optimal terms with prominent external partners, ensuring mutual success aligned with Zalando's growth plans.
• Build Global Relationships: Maintain strong long-term relationships with global brand partners to create sustainable partnership growth and strategic unlocks that support our competitiveness and customer goals. 
• Represent Beauty Initiatives: Exchange regularly with Marketing, Content, Photo Production, and Logistics, aswell as acting as an ambassador for a variety of selective projects around CX, Sampling and many more that enhance our customer journey. 

WE’D LOVE TO MEET YOU IF: 

• Sector Expertise: You bring a background in Business, Category Management, or a comparable field, backed by experience in commercial buying or category management within a Head Office or e-commerce environment.
• Haircare Ambition: You are sharp on the biggest players in the Haircare & Gifting market,  possess respectable knowledge and commercial understanding of top Haircare brands, and are keen to drive innovative new product development + customer experience. 
• Analytical Mindset: You have excellent analytical skills and are proficient in Google Suite and MS Office (especially Excel), combining commercial intuition with a data-driven approach.
• Negotiation Professional: You are a strong communicator with a track record in delivering results through high-level and impactful commercial agreements.
• Agile & Proactive: You thrive in fast-paced environments, staying organized while maintaining a proactive, "can-do" attitude.
• Collaborative Spirit: You are a true team player willing to roll up your sleeves and collaborate, whilst maintaining a strong independence and problem solving mindset. 

OUR OFFER

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.

• 27 days of holiday a year to start for full-time employees (+1 day for every calendar year up to 30 days)
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
• Family support, including counselling and dedicated services for parents and carers
• Company pension scheme
• Employee shares programme
• Health and wellbeing options, including Wellhub
• Mental health support and coaching
• Development through our training platform and biannual peer-to-peer review
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Relocation assistance (subject to prior agreement)

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

If you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!
At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds.
We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential.
We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you.
Discover more about our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion