Category Manager - Fine Jewellery

Are you a proven senior retail buying professional, with a proven track record in category management and strategy development? 

Can you utilise excellent commercial judgement and negotiation skills to build effective vendor relationships and deliver performance against targets and KPIs? 

Do you thrive in a fast paced environment, working with both internal and external stakeholders to drive improvement and deliver projects commercially? 

If so, the Category Manager (Fine Jewellery) role here at Harding could be the perfect challenge for you.? 

About the role: 

Reporting to our Category Director, you’ll be accountable for daily trading and driving the overall commercial performance of the Fine Jewellery category across our global cruise ships. Working closely with merchandising and retail operations, you’ll also lead a team to deliver the business KPI’s set for the Fine Jewellery category. 

This is a great time to join a market leading and growing business, with the opportunity to define and execute your mid-long term strategy and build a high performing team.  

Based in our Bristol office on a hybrid basis, you’ll work from the Avonmouth office 2 days a week. You’ll also occasionally travel in the UK and globally for cruise ship visits, vendor meetings and trade shows. 

Compensation – competitive salary, bonus scheme, pension, 4 x life assurance, health cash plan, 25 days leave annually (including Christmas shutdown). 

What you’ll be doing: 

• Develop and deliver our fine jewellery category strategy by cruise line with end to end management of the category execution from research to customer experience  

• Analyse and report on performance working with vendors, retail operations and buying teams to actively identify risks/opportunities and implement creative strategies  

• Build a commercial vendor portfolio and compelling core assortment, managing the buying process, range reviews and reviewing historic performance to identify gaps and opportunities  

• Develop and maintain strong vendor relationships to maximise commercial opportunities 

• Co-ordinate the workload, manage & mentor a team of five buyers  

About you: 

• A strong background and proven track record of success in fine jewellery category management or senior buying, with previous experience in travel retail highly preferred  

• Commercially minded, you’ll have a strong focus on growth and opportunities  

• Clear and focused strategy development and implementation skillset 

• Analytical problem-solving ability with an advanced numerical and Excel skills 

• Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills to build strong working relationships with vendors, cruise lines and cross-functional teams 

• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple competing projects, calendars & deadlines 

• Naturally collaborative with experience in managing, mentoring and developing a buying team 

• This role will require the candidate to travel for vendor meetings, trade shows and cruise ship visits 

• Must have an existing right of eligibility to work in the UK 

About us: 

Harding+ is leading the way in innovative onboard cruise retailing, working closely with our cruise line partners and brand partners to ‘make every cruise better’.? We stay at the forefront of retailing and consistently provide outstanding customer service, culminating in winning the Cruise Retailer of the Year award for 2022 and 2023. 

Harding+ is an equal opportunities employer.  We believe passionately that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success.  We make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills.  We value your passion to discover, invent, simplify, and build.  Protecting your privacy and the security of your data is a longstanding top priority for Harding+. 

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