Category Manager Asian & Tribal Arts
Catawiki · Amsterdam, Netherlands; France; Italy ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Category
- Management
At Catawiki, every day brings the extraordinary! Whether it’s Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 Car, a Woolly Mammoth’s Skeleton, Lady Gaga's Jumpsuit or Usain Bolt’s running shoe, we encounter exceptional objects every day.
We’re a one-of-a-kind marketplace for buying and selling special objects. Each week, more than 100,000 unique items are auctioned, all carefully curated by our passionate in-house experts.
Having sold over 25 million unique objects, our mission is to become the world’s most popular destination for special objects. As a growing, diverse and sustainable scale-up, we proudly live by three core values. If these values resonate with you, we’d love to explore how you can join us.
- Taking ownership and driving impact
- Being open to change and feedback
- Being passionate about our mission and our customers.
About the role
Asian & Tribal Art is one of Catawiki’s most distinctive and commercially complex categories. It brings together Asian Art, Tribal and Ethnographic Art, where expertise, provenance and collector trust matter.
This is a commercial marketplace leadership role, not a traditional FMCG or buying role.
As Category Manager, you will build and own the category’s end-to-end supply and demand strategy. You will grow high-quality + young collector orientated supply, shape the buyer and auction proposition, own commercial performance and directly lead an international expert team.
What you’ll do
- Build and own the end-to-end marketplace strategy, growing high-quality supply and creating demand from serious buyers and collectors
- Own the category P&L and use data to make clear decisions on supply, demand, pricing, reserve-price strategy and performance
- Shape auction and demand planning around seasonality, collector behaviour, market movements and seller portfolios
- Build long-term relationships with high-quality sellers and serious buyers, working closely with Sales and Business Development
- Directly manage, coach and develop the expert team, including performance, talent development and succession planning
- Work cross-functionally with Marketing, Operations, Product and Commercial teams to unlock growth and improve the buyer experience
What you’ll bring
- Marketplace, e-commerce, category or commercial leadership experience in a similarly complex business
- A track record of owning growth, budgets or P&L outcomes and turning plans into results
- A data-driven, action-oriented approach and the confidence to make decisions quickly
- Proven direct people-management experience, including coaching, performance management, talent development and succession planning
- Strong influencing and communication skills across teams, stakeholders, sellers and buyers
- Entrepreneurial energy, resilience and a hands-on approach in a fast-moving environment
You do not need to be an Asian & Tribal Art specialist. What matters most is your commercial leadership, ability to build trust and ambition to grow a category with real depth and potential.
What success looks like
- A clear end-to-end marketplace strategy is in motion, with priorities, owners and measurable outcomes
- A strong pipeline of not only high-quality, repeat sellers and buyers but also spotting new supply opportunities and how to reach a young collector audience
- More consistent auction quality, commercial discipline and buyer experience
- An engaged, motivated and self sufficient expert team with a growth mindset, personal development ambitions and commercial mindset
Why You'll Love Working with Us
- Create a visible impact by working at scale in a global organisation serving millions of customers across 80+ categories. In our flat structure, every role has a broad scope and directly impacts both our customers and the business.
- Learn and grow through our Learning & Development initiatives, including clear development plans and mentorship programmes to support your career progression.
- A culture of connection defines us. We’re a passionate, diverse team of 800+ Catawikians representing 60+ nationalities. We foster an inclusive and queer-friendly environment where everyone is encouraged to bring their full self to work.
- Celebrate life’s moments with us. You’ll receive a €100 Catavoucher when you join, a €50 Catavoucher on your birthday, and an extra day off each year to “Pursue Your Passion”. We also offer additional leave for key work anniversaries and important life events. Benefits may vary by location.
Our Offices and Way of Working
Our vibrant offices in Amsterdam and Lisbon are designed to inspire collaboration. Most Catawikians operate in a hybrid setup, combining office-based and remote work, with a minimum of two days per week in the office, unless a role is explicitly stated as fully remote or fully office-based.
Interested?
Apply with an English CV and Cover Letter. By applying, you agree to Catawiki’s Applicant Privacy Policy. If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.