Buying Manager - Beauty

David Jones is a business that has undergone significant transformation over the past three years through the successful delivery of our $250m Vision 25 strategic plan. Having completed this pivotal chapter, we are now focused on the next phase of our evolution through our Inspire 30 strategy.

This is an exciting time to join the business as we continue to invest in our future, our customer experience, and our people. We’re looking for a dynamic, resilient, and talented individual who is excited by transformation and motivated to help shape the future of one of Australia’s most iconic retail brands and beauty destinations.

About the Opportunity

As the retail landscape continues to evolve, we recognise the challenges facing the industry and the importance of remaining agile, customer-focused, and commercially disciplined. At David Jones, we are actively transforming our business for the future — investing in our brands, customer experience, and category strategies to ensure we continue to lead in premium retail.

Based in our Melbourne CBD Support Centre, this is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and commercially minded beauty leader to drive category growth, elevate our product offering, and deliver inspiring experiences for our customers.

Working across a portfolio of globally recognised brands alongside emerging and disruptive beauty players, you will help define the future of luxury beauty retail at David Jones.

What Your Day Looks Like

Driving Commercial Performance

• Develop and execute category strategies that deliver sales growth, profitability, and market leadership across Beauty
• Build commercially compelling assortments that reflect customer trends, seasonal opportunities, and brand positioning
• Analyse sales performance, customer insights, and market trends to inform buying decisions and optimise trading outcomes
• Manage budgets, inventory, and OTB performance to maximise productivity and minimise risk
• Partner closely with Planning teams to drive performance through data-led decision making

Building Strategic Partnerships

• Establish and maintain strong relationships with key brand partners and suppliers
• Lead commercial negotiations across ranging, investment, exclusives, launches, and promotional activity
• Identify opportunities to introduce new and emerging brands that strengthen the David Jones beauty proposition
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across Marketing, VM, Digital, Supply Chain, and Retail Operations to deliver seamless customer experiences

Leading Innovation \& Customer Experience

• Stay ahead of global beauty trends, customer behaviours, and competitor activity
• Curate innovative and differentiated product assortments that position David Jones as a leader in prestige beauty
• Champion a customer-first mindset across all category decisions and initiatives
• Support the evolution of the beauty customer experience both in-store and online

Leading \& Developing Your Team

• Lead, coach, and inspire a team of experienced Beauty Buyers, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture
• Provide strategic direction, clear priorities, and ongoing development opportunities to support team growth and capability
• Drive accountability across trading performance, category execution, and delivery of commercial outcomes
• Encourage innovation, customer-first thinking, and cross-functional collaboration across the Beauty team
• Partner closely with senior leadership to align team objectives with broader business and category strategies

What We’re Looking For

• Proven experience in a Buying or Category Management role within Beauty, Cosmetics, Skincare, Fragrance, or Luxury Retail
• Strong commercial acumen with highly developed analytical and negotiation skills
• Deep understanding of beauty trends, consumer behaviour, and the competitive retail landscape
• Exceptional stakeholder management and relationship-building capability
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution in a fast-paced environment
• Advanced Excel and retail systems capability
• Passion for premium retail, customer experience, and brand storytelling

Why Join David Jones

At David Jones, we’re reimagining the future of retail while staying true to the heritage and service excellence that have defined us for generations.

We foster an inclusive and collaborative culture where diverse perspectives are valued and innovation is encouraged. Alongside a competitive remuneration package, you’ll enjoy:

• Unique opportunity to be part of a team driving the transformation of an iconic Australian brand
• Hybrid working arrangements that support work/life balance
• Parental leave policy of 18-weeks paid leave for the primary carer, and 3-weeks paid leave for the supporting partner
• Generous employee discounts across David Jones and access to partner benefits
• An additional day of leave for your birthday, plus time to support charitable work
• Opportunities to contribute to our Corporate Social Responsibility program and community partnerships
• Ongoing training and development to support your growth and ambitions

If you’re passionate about beauty, commercially driven, and excited by the opportunity to shape the future of luxury retail, we’d love to hear from you