Category Manager (Temporary Contract) - Faces

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Chalhoub Group is hiring a temporary Category Manager in Dubai to own the offer, category strategy, and brand negotiations for beauty and wellness categories, with responsibilities spanning business planning, policy development, budget oversight, space allocation, and seasonal promotions. You will benchmark performance, manage catalogue optimization, partner with brands, and coordinate cross functional launches and store promotions to maximize margin and category growth, reporting to the GM/Captain. The ideal candidate has at least four years in Category Management, a background in beauty and strong English, and proven commercial acumen with supplier negotiations and retail analytics. To apply, customize your CV to showcase your category wins, merchandising innovations, and promotional calendars, and acknowledge Chalhoub’s values and the GenAI policy, while emphasizing your fit with sustainability and inclusion.

INSPIRE | EXHILARATE | DELIGHT

For over seven decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. In its pursuit to excel as a hybrid luxury retailer, the Group has curated a portfolio of over 10 owned brands and strengthened its distribution and marketing expertise for over 400 international names across luxury fashion, beauty, jewelry, watches, eyewear, and art de vivre categories.

Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken to build a future where luxury dreams become reality — bridging cultures and crafting memorable experiences for our consumers. Be it by constantly reinventing itself, committing to innovation, or embracing new technologies, the Group is shaping the future of luxury retail. It delivers seamless omnichannel experiences across more than 950 stores, online platforms, and mobile apps. Driving this innovation journey is The Greenhouse — the Group’s innovation hub, incubator, and accelerator for startups and emerging businesses, regionally and globally.

Chalhoub Group fosters a people-at-heart culture rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a workplace catalyzed by forward thinking and future-proofing. Today, it brings together over 16,000 talented professionals across eight countries in the Middle East, with a presence in LATAM. Their collective efforts have earned the Group the Great Place to Work® certification in several markets.

Sustainability is at the core of the Group’s strategy, guided by a clear commitment to people, partners, and the planet. Chalhoub Group is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, and to have pledged to reach Net Zero by 2040.

What you'll be doing

At Chalhoub, we share leading brands with the world. As a category manager you will be responsible for defining and driving the “offer” and purchasing strategy for different products categories and brands. You will also define the action plan for the categories, merchandising, promotional activities, prices and negotiations.

• Develop the business plan of the Department in line with the strategic objectives of the Brand

• Formulate and communicate the Department performance objectives and continuously monitor progress and alignment towards strategic objectives

• Develop the Department policies and procedures in order to ensure the fulfilment of organizational requirements

• Oversee the operations of the Department, provide expertise, encourage teamwork and facilitate related professional work processes in order to achieve high-performance standards and staff pride in contribution

• Monitor the yearly budget of the Department and control expenditure to ensure optimal use

• Define the offer strategy for the stores in the designated area in alignment with the brand’s values

• Validate the strategy with the GM/Captain

• Negotiate annual commercial agreements and the commercialization of advertising spaces with the brands

• Drive the development of the margin and the budgetary objectives

Category Performance Management:

• Benchmark current performance vs. the competition and the peer market

• Create different tools to improve the categories’ performance

• Manage segmentation, seasonal activities, action plans for the stores; follow up on the results

• Manage the existing catalogue, optimizing on the mix at the points of sale

• Identify the products with potential and research new products

• Develop a wide range of services (skincare – make up – lessons – etc.) to be adapted to each category

• Prepare the periodic category reviews

Supplier Relations:

• Create partnerships with the brands and follow up on the results

• Handle the negotiations with existing and potential partners

• Optimize the merchandising plan and the allocation of space vs. the volume of margin

• Develop new merchandising aids, tools, and new concepts

• Coordinate new openings (Brands/Merchandising/Promotions) or refitting of sales areas

• Register newly imported brands to the market, in compliance with the regulations of each country

• Benchmark current pricing vs. the competition and the peer market

• Recommend adjustments on the pricing policy to the GM/Captain

• Handle the production of the annual calendar for the brands promotions, launches, etc.

• Assess the requirements and coordinate with relevant internal/external stakeholders (Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Suppliers, Category Managers and Logistics)

• Negotiate with suppliers for the stock returns (discontinued and slow movers)

• Assign individual objectives for employee performance management purposes, manage performance, empower staff, and provide formal and informal feedback in order to support professional development and maximize performance

What you'll need to succeed

• Minimum 4 years of Category Management experience

• Background in beauty, make up, and wellness is a plus

• Passion and love for beauty products

• Commercial acumen

• Excellent English communication skills

What we can offer you  

With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality.  We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.  

We recognize the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts.  

Using GenAI in Your Application Process

To support a fair and consistent experience for all candidates, we ask that assessments and interviews are completed independently and without assistance from generative AI tools. This ensures we understand your strengths, your thinking, and how you approach real situations.

We Invite All Applicants to Apply

It Takes Diversity Of Thought, Culture, Background, Differing Abilities and Perspectives to truly Inspire, Exhilarate and Delight our customers. At Chalhoub Group, we are committed to inclusion and diversity.

We welcome all applicants to apply and be part of our exciting future. We ensure equal opportunity for all our applicants without regard to gender, age, race, religion, national origin or disability status.