Sephora Category Merchant — Skincare

Overview

Sephora is a leading global beauty retailer renowned for its curated assortment of prestige and emerging brands. Operated within the Selective Distribution framework and belonging to the LVMH group, Sephora is recognized for a fast-paced, retail-driven culture that emphasizes innovation, brand partnerships and customer experience across physical and digital channels.

Role & Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end assortment and merchandising for the skincare category across stores and ecommerce, ensuring SKU-level visibility and execution of planograms.
• Plan and monitor product lifecycle, prepare SKU-level sales and stock forecasts, and propose optimal product mix in alignment with brand budgets and category strategy.
• Coordinate launches, activations, in-store animations and digital campaigns with brand partners and cross-functional teams to maximize visibility and sales.
• Drive omnichannel integration: define ecommerce assortment, secure online exclusivities/pre-launches, and liaise with Ecommerce and Marketing for timely asset delivery.
• Oversee brand performance analysis and reporting: prepare monthly category and brand KPIs, track budgets by market/store, and recommend corrective action for slow sellers or overstocks.
• Develop and manage CRM and loyalty-related initiatives for the category, including activation calendars, gifting strategies, and lifecycle campaign support.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with brand partners and internal stakeholders; negotiate gifting and promotional support for loyalty and marketing programs.
• Design and deliver training and merchandising support with brands and the education team to ensure consistent in-store execution.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–4 years of relevant experience in category merchandising, brand management or retail buying within beauty, cosmetics or luxury retail.
• Proven ability to develop SKU-level forecasts and interpret sales/stock data to inform commercial decisions.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills with experience liaising directly with brand partners.
• Demonstrated capability to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines in a matrixed, omnichannel environment.
• Strong presentation skills and experience producing actionable reports for senior management.

Skills

Experience

Minimum 3–4 years of hands-on experience in category merchandising, brand management, retail buying or a closely related commercial role, preferably within beauty, cosmetics or luxury retail.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Merchandising, Retail Management or a related discipline (or equivalent professional experience).

Workplace

Culture

Sephora cultivates an inclusive, fast-moving retail culture that prizes creativity, brand collaboration and customer obsession. The company invests in employee development and empowers teams to innovate across in-store and digital touchpoints while celebrating diversity and a spirit of continuous learning.

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.