Category Manager Asian & Tribal Arts

<p>At Catawiki, every day brings the extraordinary! Whether it’s <a href="https://www.catawiki.com/en/c/583-sports-memorabilia" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Daniel Ricciardo’s Formula 1 Car</a>, a <a href="https://www.catawiki.com/en/c/579-fossils" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Woolly Mammoth’s Skeleton</a>, <a href="https://www.catawiki.com/en/l/10035805" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Lady Gaga's Jumpsuit</a> or <a href="https://www.catawiki.com/en/c/583-sports-memorabilia" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Usain Bolt’s running shoe</a>, we encounter exceptional objects every day.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <ul> <li>Taking ownership and driving impact </li> <li>Being open to change and feedback</li> <li>Being passionate about our mission and our customers. </li> </ul> <p>Asian &amp; Tribal is one of the most culturally rich and commercially complex categories within Collectables. It spans Asian Art, Tribal &amp; Ethnographic Art, and related subcategories where heritage, craftsmanship, provenance, and collector trust are critical. The category attracts a diverse global buyer base ranging from emerging collectors to highly specialised, repeat buyers, and requires strong judgement, commercial sharpness, and leadership to balance growth with quality.</p> <p>This is an opportunity to lead an established category with real depth, a strong expert team and clear headroom for growth. You will set the commercial direction, turn opportunity into focused execution and build a category that grows in both scale and quality. It is not a role for maintaining the status quo: you will make choices, create momentum and take ownership of the outcomes.</p> <p>As Category Manager, you own the category strategy and commercial performance. You lead and develop an international team of Experts, build strong external networks with sellers and institutions, and ensure a high-quality buyer experience that reinforces trust and repeat engagement.</p> <p>This role is based in the Netherlands with a hybrid setup. You are expected to work from the Amsterdam office two days per week to collaborate closely with other Category Managers, Commercial teams, and key stakeholders.</p> <p><strong>The Opportunity</strong></p> <ul> <li>Shape a clear growth plan for a category with global reach, cultural credibility and significant untapped commercial potential.</li> <li>Improve the category mix, auction performance and seller portfolio - choosing where to invest, what to stop and how to turn insight into measurable action.</li> <li>Build a stronger, more repeatable pipeline of high-quality sellers alongside Sales and Business Development, while representing Catawiki credibly in the market.</li> <li>Create a high-performing, engaged team that combines specialist expertise with commercial ownership, pace and accountability.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What You’ll Do</strong></p> <ul> <li>Build, own and execute the strategic growth plan for Asian &amp; Tribal. Set a clear ambition, identify the few growth bets that matter most and translate them into practical, time-bound execution.</li> <li>Own the category P&amp;L and commercial outcomes. Use data to make firm calls on where to invest, improve or stop - balancing growth, margin, quality and operational stability.</li> <li>Steer the full auction-performance funnel: supply quality and mix, curation pace, pricing and reserve-price strategy, sell-through, cancellation and buyer experience.</li> <li>Shape auction planning around seasonality, market dynamics, collector behaviour and seller portfolios, with a focus on increasing repeatable high-quality supply and long-term buyer trust.</li> <li>Work closely with Sales and Business Development to build and convert a stronger seller pipeline. Develop your own external network and represent Catawiki with credibility among sellers, dealers, institutions and professional networks.</li> <li>Lead, coach and develop an international team of Experts. Set clear expectations, create ownership and follow through on performance, development and accountability.</li> <li>Create focus and pace in a complex environment. Prioritise clearly, make decisions with imperfect information and address resistance or underperformance directly and constructively.</li> <li>Influence Marketing, Operations, Product, Commercial and other Category teams to unlock growth opportunities. Build alignment where it helps execution, but do not wait for consensus to move the business forward.</li> <li>Stay close to global Asian &amp; Tribal market trends, pricing dynamics, collector demand and competitive movements, turning relevant insight into action.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What You’ll Bring</strong></p> <ul> <li>A strong commercial track record in category management, marketplace, retail, sales or another complex, customer-led business. You have owned meaningful commercial outcomes, not only supported them.</li> <li>Experience building and executing a growth strategy, including planning, budgeting, pricing and P&amp;L management. You can explain the commercial logic behind your decisions and measure whether they worked.</li> <li>A data-led, action-oriented approach. You can move from dashboards and ambiguous signals to a clear diagnosis, a prioritised plan and accountable follow-through.</li> <li>Proven people-leadership experience. You know how to coach specialists, set a high bar, create engagement and handle difficult performance conversations when needed.</li> <li>Commercial curiosity and entrepreneurial energy. You actively look for opportunities, test assumptions and keep learning - particularly where the market or customer behaviour is changing.</li> <li>Decisiveness and resilience in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment. You are comfortable making trade-offs, defending a point of view and adapting when evidence says the approach needs to change.</li> <li>Strong stakeholder management and communication skills. You can influence across seniority levels and functions, communicate concisely and bring people with you through change.</li> <li>A hands-on mindset balanced with strategic thinking. You are willing to get close to the detail when needed, while building systems and capability that allow the team to scale.</li> <li>Comfort working with Google Suite or similar tools.</li> <li>Interest or background in Asian Art, Tribal Art or Collectables is a plus. Deep expertise can grow on the job; commercial leadership, judgement and the ability to build trust are essential.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What Success Looks Like</strong></p> <ul> <li>A focused, credible category growth plan is in motion, with clear priorities, owners, milestones and leading indicators.</li> <li>The team understands what good looks like and works with greater clarity, ownership and commercial pace.</li> <li>Auction quality and commercial discipline are more consistent, with deliberate choices on supply mix, pricing and reserve-price strategy.</li> <li>A stronger pipeline of repeat, high-quality sellers is being built with Commercial partners and through your own market network.</li> <li>Stakeholders experience you as a clear, constructive business owner who moves decisions into action and communicates progress honestly.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Where You’ll Be</strong></p> <p>This is a hybrid role based in the Netherlands. You will work from the Amsterdam office at least two days per week to collaborate with fellow Category Managers, Commercial teams, and key stakeholders.</p> <h3> </h3> <p><strong>What We Offer</strong></p> <p>A category with cultural depth, global reach, and significant commercial potential. You will have real ownership, the space to shape strategy and execution, and the opportunity to lead and develop a strong expert team. You will work alongside ambitious international colleagues in a collaborative environment with clear expectations, strong development opportunities, and a focus on sustainable growth.</p> <h3><strong>Why You'll Love Working with Us</strong></h3> <ul> <li><strong>Create a visible impact </strong>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.</li> <li><strong>Learn and grow</strong> through our Learning &amp; Development initiatives, including clear development plans and mentorship programmes to support your career progression.</li> <li><strong>A culture of connection defines us</strong>. 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.</li> <li><strong>Celebrate life’s moments with us. </strong>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<strong>”</strong>. We also offer additional leave for key work anniversaries and important life events. Benefits may vary by location.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Our Offices and Way of Working</strong></h3> <p>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.</p> <h3><strong>Interested?</strong></h3> <p>Apply with an English CV and Cover Letter. By applying, you agree to <a href="https://www.catawiki.com/conditions/applicant-privacy-policy.pdf" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Catawiki’s Applicant Privacy Policy.</a> 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.</p>