Sotheby's Vice President, Fixed Price Strategy and Business Operations

About Sotheby's

Sotheby’s is an auction house founded in London in 1744. Its specialists work across fine art and collecting categories including jewelry, watches, handbags, wine, design, and classic cars. The house connects collectors through live and online auctions, private sales, and fixed-price purchases. Its work spans specialist research and cataloging, client services, marketing, technology, finance, and operations, supporting the preparation, sale, and movement of objects across its international network.

Role & Responsibilities

• Serve as the principal strategic and operational partner to the Global Head of Fixed Price for Luxury, supporting the direction and execution of the global Private Sales and Salon business.
• Develop and maintain the Private Sales operating rhythm, including executive reporting, performance reviews, pipeline discussions, and strategic planning sessions with global leadership.
• Lead coordination across specialist departments, relationship managers, operations, and client-facing teams to align work with annual business objectives.
• Build and operationalize Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) watch initiatives and new revenue streams in partnership with the Global Head of Fixed Price.
• Introduce and manage new contracts, inventory acquisition processes, and purchasing controls while maintaining agreed cash flow parameters.
• Support additional Private Sales revenue streams, including financing solutions, storage services, and other value-added client offerings.
• Drive a “House of Brands” approach across categories, supporting consignments, cross-selling opportunities, brand partnerships, and salon-based event revenue.
• Conduct strategic analyses to identify revenue streams, partnership opportunities, service offerings, and collecting categories that support long-term growth.
• Lead business case development and post-performance analysis for major initiatives, sales campaigns, exhibitions, and strategic investments.
• Support the creation and implementation of incremental revenue streams from ideation through commercialization.
• Support expansion of the global salon footprint through new location launches and integration, establishing operating standards for a consistent, scalable, and profitable experience across salons.
• Partner with specialist departments to expand Private Sales opportunities across emerging categories.
• Support enhancements to multi-currency functionality, inventory visibility, and client engagement capabilities across global markets.
• Support integration of RM Sotheby's offerings within the Salon ecosystem across key locations.
• Develop operational frameworks that enable new categories to participate effectively in the global salon architecture.
• Lead digital transformation, technology adoption, and process automation initiatives to enhance client experience and improve commercial visibility and inventory management.
• Partner with cross-functional teams on Private Sales exhibitions and salon programming, providing commercial and operational governance and ensuring performance metrics are delivered across locations.
• Partner with Operations to maintain effective inventory controls and visibility across salon locations and Private Sales channels.
• Review and enhance Private Sales processes to enable seamless cross-channel sourcing and selling.
• Work with the Global Head of Private Sales to review and optimize incentive structures that support business growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in operations, strategy, consulting, or commercial leadership, with a proven record of driving business performance, operational transformation, and cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including experience managing P&Ls, budgeting, forecasting, business reporting, KPI tracking, and developing revenue streams from strategic ideation through execution.
• Ability to build influential partnerships and lead across complex, matrixed organizations, working effectively with commercial, specialist, marketing, finance, legal, compliance, technology, and operations teams to drive alignment and results.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience advising senior leadership and presenting business performance, financial insights, forecasts, pipeline updates, and strategic recommendations while aligning global and regional teams around shared objectives.
• Deep understanding of sales operations, inventory management, commercial processes, and high-value transactions, including consignments, client negotiations, and complex deal structures.
• Experience in a luxury, art, collectibles, auction, marketplace, or other client-centric environment, with a strong appreciation for premium client experience and commercial excellence.
• Strong knowledge of international tax, compliance, contracting, and regulatory requirements within a global commercial organization.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and ability to build and scale new business initiatives.
• Strong commercial acumen and financial analytical skills.
• Excellent organizational and project management capabilities.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Comfort navigating complex organizations and driving change across multiple business units.
• Strong communication and leadership abilities with an international perspective.
• Advanced financial modeling, forecasting, and business planning capabilities.
• Exceptional analytical skills and ability to translate data into business decisions.
• Advanced Excel and business reporting skills.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of managing multiple strategic priorities simultaneously.
• Experience operating successfully in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments.
• Knowledge of luxury markets, the art world, collectibles, or auction house operations strongly preferred.

Skills

Experience

10+ years in operations, strategy, consulting, or commercial leadership roles.

Culture

Sotheby’s describes its culture in terms of client service, specialist knowledge, curiosity, collaboration, and ethical conduct. Its careers materials emphasize working across disciplines and encouraging employees to explore internal opportunities.

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.