National Account Manager

Position

DEPARTMENT: Commercial

LOCATION: Kensington, London

REPORTS TO: Senior Commercial Manager

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Manage a selected group of retailers for Dior perfumes and cosmetics under the supervision of the Senior Commercial Manager, developing partnerships, building and delivering joint plans to increase market share and profit, and enhance Dior’s brand image.

Job responsibilities

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

STRATEGIC DIRECTION . Support the Senior Commercial Manager in developing a 3-year vision and strategy for selected retailers. Review progress annually to ensure delivery is on track, and recommend changes as appropriate.

KPIs: 3-year vision and strategy in place for each retailer

ANNUAL PLANNING . Recommend annual budgets and plans to meet the objectives of the 3-year strategy. Support Senior Commercial Manager in negotiating commercial terms and retail tactics (eg. trade marketing plan, distribution, staffing) to support annual budgets.

KPIs: Annual budget/plan in place for each retailer. Appropriate investment secured, both internally and externally

TRADING . Compile and monitor trading results (retail, gross sales, net sales, stock, returns, DSO) on a monthly and quarterly basis to ensure performance is on track. Develop and deliver proposals to enhance performance ‘in flight’, negotiating additional support as needed. Work with other functions to ensure all retail opportunities are maximised.

KPIs: Achievement of financial targets: retail sales, gross sales, net sales, DSO, stock cover

P\&L MANAGEMENT . Drive the enhancement of the P\&L for selected retailers, in line with the 3-year strategy. Review spend against budget (eg. staffing, capex) on a quarterly basis, addressing over/under-spends as appropriate to achieve profit targets.

KPIs: Achievement of financial targets: operating profit

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT . Work with Operations team to forecast quantities for new launches. Present each journey to retailers to secure appropriate sell-in for new launches. Review retail sales, sell-in and cover with each retailer on a monthly basis to optimise stocks and assortment, flagging issues with Senior Commercial Manager as required. Work with retailers to resolve out-of-stock issues as quickly as possible. Authorise RGAs as required, and ensure RGA log is accurate and up to date.

KPIs: Achievement of financial targets: returns, forecasting accuracy. No out-of-stocks during new product launches.

ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT . Work with Finance team to monitor payments and overdue accounts, escalating issues to Senior Commercial Manager if required. Act as primary contact for all communications with selected retailers.

KPIs: Clear engagement plan in place for each retailer. Strong relationships built with retailers

PROJECTS . Lead key projects/initiatives to drive business performance, coordinating activity across retailers and functions as required.

KPIs: Successful delivery of projects on time and on budget

Profile

PERSONAL PROFILE

• 3+ years’ experience in luxury goods, cosmetics or retail
• Strong background in make-up, with demonstrable commercial success in the category
• Graduate level education
• Sound understanding of and appreciation for the luxury goods industry
• Personal affinity with the Dior brand and products
• Competent in usage of MS Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook
• Ambitious, entrepreneurial, and brave in pursuit of commercial growth, especially within make-up
• Passionate about spotting and reacting to beauty trends to drive sell-in and sell-out (SISO)
• Strong understanding of the beauty consumer and their evolving behaviours

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Negotiation: Uses both hard and soft negotiation techniques to secure win-win results; is able to adapt approach quickly in order to secure better results
• Influencing \& stakeholder management: Adapts personal style to influence others better; builds consensus and secures support through a broad range of techniques
• Analytical skills: Compiles and interprets financial, market and category data; translates insights into actionable plans
• Commercial Creativity: Brings fresh ideas to drive make-up category performance through compelling trade plans, activations and innovations
• Digital Fluency: Builds integrated plans that include digital campaigns, influencer partnerships and events to amplify retail impact
• Operational Excellence: Accurately forecasts and manages stock, with a focus on inventory optimisation and launch readiness

Additional information

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We are seeking an entrepreneurial and commercially savvy individual, ideally with a strong background in make-up, who is driven to identify opportunities and push boundaries. The ideal candidate is confident, trend-aware, and passionate about beauty consumers, with a knack for creating disruptive plans across digital, influencer, and event channels. They should be as comfortable building retailer relationships as they are with forecasting stock and driving sell-through.

PARFUMS CHRISTIAN DIOR MAISON

Christian Dior described himself as a fashion and perfume designer. The House of Dior, founded in 1946, changed the face of ladies’ style forever when its New Look was unveiled in the halls of 30 Avenue Montaigne on February 12, 1947. The revolutionary look was accompanied by a fragrance, Miss Dior, the finishing touch designed to “leave a trail of desire in a woman’s wake”. This timeless perfume was the first fragrance created by a visionary brand which invented the concept of global beauty with its Rouge Dior and subsequent cosmetic lines.

The current-day trustees of this legendary expertise – Francis Kurkdjian, Perfume Creation Director, and Peter Philips, Creative and Image Director for Dior Makeup – are the heirs to Christian Dior’s perfectionism. The worldwide renown of the House’s creations is partly down to its seductive muses, including Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman and Robert Pattinson.