Head of Beauty

The Bijenkorf has successfully started on the ‘Road to Premiumship’. Expanding and upgrading the assortment combined with the tasteful design of the stores offer a unique shopping experience. The cosmetics department is the foundation of this experience: it’s the department visitors see first when they enter the store. Cosmetics is a dynamic market: promising new brands take shape and well-known, established brands launch innovative products. It’s up to the Head of Beauty to, together with his/her team, strengthen the Bijenkorf’s foundation by capitalizing on these developments and by intriguing the visitors with unique products and brands.

The Bijenkorf (part of the Selfridges Group) offers her visitors an exclusive range of products, unique concepts and luxurious designers brands such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier. The warehouse has flagship stores in world-renowned cities. The Bijenkorf’s aim is to turn every visitor’s visit into an experience.

At the Service offices located in Amsterdam Southeast, around 400 employees with various specializations are working on improving the customer experience every single day. The purchasing department tries to surprise and inspire the customer on every visit with a distinctive, varied and high-quality offering of brands and a unique shopping experience.

CATEGORY WITH A UNIQUE DYNAMIC

Cosmetics makes for a unique category. As soon as visitors enter a Bijenkorf, the first thing they see is the cosmetics department. This makes this category the bedrock of their shopping experience. It’s all about how the products feel, how they smell, and how you are being helped. An innovative and distinctive range of brands is of utmost importance and this makes a close relationship with the brands crucial.

“Recently, we’ve worked out an ambitious five-year plan for the cosmetics department. The new Head of Beauty is, together with his/her team, responsible for the execution of this strategy and consequently for increasing the turnover in this category.” – Ninke Gijzel, Buying Director

VACANCY HEAD OF BEAUTY

The Head of Beauty is – together with the Commercial Planning Manager – responsible for realizing the category’s commercial and financial targets, both for the stores as well as in e-commerce. With this in mind, the Head of Beauty will develop a creative and innovative vision regarding cosmetics. This manifests itself in the selection of brands, but also in the layout of the store. He/she is the focal point for the Store Managers when it comes to implementing concepts on the sales floor. Within the Selfridges Group, the various Heads of Beauty work together; this cooperation provides him/her with inspiration about market developments and for the optimization of the partnership with the brands.

LEADING THE COSMETICS TEAM

The Head of Beauty manages the Cosmetics team and has four direct reports: a Buyer, a Junior Buyer, an Assistant Buyer and a Retail Coordinator. A Commercial Coordinator also joined the team, and from the marketing department he/she will work on converting and implementing marketing concepts and market agreements. The Head of Beauty reports directly to the Buying Director and is an internal focal point for Management and colleagues on anything that has to do with the category.

MARKETING AND RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Cosmetics is marketing. This – more than with other categories – is essential. Product launches, events, magazine outings and exclusivity are what makes cosmetics brands what they are today. This makes effective relationship management with the various brands one of the most important responsibilities for the Head of Beauty. Balance is key. Balance between tough negotiating and ensuring the brands want the Bijenkorf to sell their latest and best products.

Only a deep understanding of the market and maintaining a good relationship with the brands will allow the Head of Beauty to realize a distinctive and innovative range of products as well as to quickly anticipate the latest developments. The Head of Beauty has final responsibility for the agreements and contracts with the various brands and their compliance in the stores. What’s important here is that every location is different. The Bijenkorf in Amsterdam has a different profile than the one in Rotterdam, for instance in total shopping area and in types of visitors.

“In this senior management position you are, together with the rest of the management team, directly responsible for the direction and the execution of the Bijenkorf’s premium strategy. Here, you can make a profound impact in the current cosmetics landscape.” – Geert de Vries, Manager HR

EXPERIENCE

• University degree
• 8+ years experience in a commercial marketing and/or purchasing role
• Experience in cosmetics or a luxury brand environment is preferred

PERSONALITY

• Decisive
• Thinks in opportunities
• Convincing
• Leader
• Result-oriented
• Networker
• Takes responsibility