Francis Kurkdjian Category Manager
Maison Francis Kurkdjian seeks a Category Manager (CDD, maternity cover) in Paris to manage European assortments and category performance.
Overview
Maison Francis Kurkdjian is a distinguished luxury fragrance maison within the LVMH group, recognised for artisanal perfumery, meticulous sourcing of raw materials and refined design. Distributed through the world’s most prestigious retail points of sale, the Maison combines creative olfactory savoir‑faire with a commercial organisation that serves international markets.
Role & Responsibilities
- Define and manage the optimal assortment by store type and by country, accounting for market trends, logistical constraints and local specificities.
- Identify assortment optimisation opportunities: new product introductions, range rationalisation and SKU discontinuation.
- Own the product lifecycle: lead launches, relaunches and end‑of‑life processes for assigned categories.
- Prepare sales forecasts and coordinate product allocations in close collaboration with supply chain teams.
- Monitor key performance indicators (sell‑in / sell‑out) by client, country and category; analyse variances and propose corrective actions.
- Produce regular commercial reporting for the international management and relevant stakeholders.
- Work in close partnership with local commercial teams to understand market needs and ensure consistent category execution across markets.
- Provide sales teams with commercial tools: product argumentaires, visual merchandising guidelines and communication supports.
- Ensure application of retail excellence standards and impeccable visual presentation at points of sale.
- Oversee training of Beauty Advisors to maintain high product and selling expertise.
- Manage category budgets and follow up on invoicing related to Beauty Consultants (TR).
Qualifications
- Master’s degree (Bac+5) in Business, Marketing or equivalent.
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in commercial or marketing roles, with confirmed experience in category management or trade marketing.
- Experience in international or multicultural environments; experience on European markets preferred.
- Advanced analytical and synthesis skills with proven ability to translate data into commercial strategy.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel, and solid skills in PowerPoint and CRM systems.
- Strong cross‑functional collaboration, stakeholder management and written/oral communication skills.
- Fluent in French and English; an additional European language is an advantage.
Skills
Experience
Minimum five years in commercial or marketing positions with demonstrable experience in category management or trade marketing, ideally within an international or European retail environment.
Education
Master’s degree (Bac+5) in Business, Marketing or equivalent.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Paris, Île-de-France, France. 3.413 luxury roles are listed in Paris on Cerulean, 167 posted in the last 48 hours. Across the Île-de-France region, Cerulean lists 3.847 open positions — 193 listed in the past two days. Cerulean currently advertises 4.423 open roles in France, including 236 added in the last 48 hours.
Culture
The Maison fosters an inclusive, high‑standard work environment where creativity, craftsmanship and commercial excellence intersect. As part of LVMH and a signatory of diversity and inclusion commitments, the Maison values equal opportunities and encourages career development through international assignments and cross‑disciplinary collaboration.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Francis Kurkdjian, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Trade Category Manager», «Merchandising Category Manager», «European Category Manager», «Retail Category Lead», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.