Sephora Category Manager
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Manager
- Department
- Merchandising, Buying & Planning
- Posted
- Sep 3, 2026
About Sephora
Sephora is a global prestige beauty leader, renowned for redefining the retail experience through creativity, inclusivity, and expert service. Founded in France and now part of LVMH, the company brings together an exceptional portfolio of beauty brands with a distinctive culture of discovery and innovation. As an employer, Sephora offers a dynamic, customer-centered environment where talent is encouraged to learn, experiment, and grow across retail, digital, merchandising, operations, and corporate functions. Its teams are united by a passion for beauty, entrepreneurship, and belonging, making Sephora a compelling workplace for professionals seeking impact within a fast-moving international brand.
Sephora seeks a Category Manager in Istanbul to lead strategic growth, assortment, and omnichannel excellence in prestige beauty retail.
Role & Responsibilities
- Own category performance across sales, margin, stock, market share, and growth while ensuring alignment with long-term business objectives
- Develop and implement purpose-driven strategies balancing profitability, customer satisfaction, and brand equity within global guidelines
- Identify and unlock growth opportunities through analysis of market trends, competitive dynamics, and customer behaviors
- Partner with global category and Regional General Manager teams to execute global brand strategies locally with consistency and impact
- Define optimal assortment mix based on productivity, customer needs, and innovation trends, ensuring portfolio reflects customer-centricity
- Lead planning and execution of merchandising updates and store layouts to create engaging, seamless shopping experiences
- Collaborate with CRM teams to enhance customer recruitment and loyalty through personalized offers aligned with strategic objectives
- Establish clear price positioning in partnership with Regional General Manager teams, ensuring competitiveness and value perception
- Design and monitor annual and seasonal promotion plans to maximize return on investment and strengthen category performance
- Define and coordinate 360° marketing plans for key launches, ensuring integrated execution across all channels
- Build strong partnerships with suppliers, aligning on strategies, investments, and joint business plans
- Conduct regular business reviews to track performance, identify growth drivers, and implement corrective actions
- Collaborate with Supply Chain teams to ensure forecast accuracy, supply continuity, and minimize inventory risks
- Leverage shopper insights, market research, and performance analytics to inform strategy and optimize execution
- Work closely with digital sales teams to build omnichannel brand strategy, ensuring consistency across physical and digital platforms
- Lead global initiatives on productivity, assortment optimization, and merchandising excellence
- Maintain strong field presence through regular visits and bi-weekly performance reviews with Area Managers
Qualifications
- 10+ years of leadership experience in category management, retail, or related field
- Proven track record driving growth, innovation, and commercial impact in prestige beauty or luxury retail
- Fluent in English (spoken and written); French proficiency preferred
- Demonstrated ability to engage, inspire, and influence senior stakeholders and external partners
- Exceptional analytical skills and commercial insight with strong problem-solving capabilities
- Ability to challenge status quo and implement transformative improvements with measurable results
- Strong communication skills across diverse functions and organizational levels
- Passion for anticipating trends and shaping long-term category leadership strategies
Skills
Experience
10+ years of leadership experience in category management, driving growth and innovation in retail or prestige beauty environments. Proven expertise in developing and implementing strategic initiatives that deliver measurable commercial impact and strengthen market position.
Education
Strong academic foundation with university-level degree (specific discipline not mandated, though commerce, business administration, marketing, or related field preferred).
Workplace
This position is based in Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey.
Benefits
Training and development through personalized career plans; exposure to a global network of 56,000 team members across 35 markets; access to innovation and learning opportunities within the LVMH Group; inclusive, diversity-focused workplace culture.
Culture
Sephora fosters a dynamic, inclusive workplace where creativity, curiosity, and a passion for beauty are encouraged at every level. As an employer, it is distinguished by its focus on empowerment, continuous learning, and a collaborative retail culture that celebrates individuality and client-centric innovation.
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 Sephora, 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 «Merchandising Manager», «Product Category Lead», «Strategic Buyer Manager», «Brand Category Director», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.