Category Manager - Heritage - maternity cover (all genders)

Zalando GmbH; Berlin; Hybrid; EUR 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days of holiday a year to start for

40% off fashion and beauty products

Family support

Company pension scheme

Employee shares programme

Health and wellbeing options

Mental health support and coaching

2 paid volunteering days a year

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Zalando GmbH in Berlin is seeking a Category Manager for our Heritage unit. You will own a portfolio of flagship brands, shape assortments, and drive buying strategies that balance creativity with commercial results.

You will partner with the unit lead, Merchandising, and platform teams to translate targets into brand-level plans. This maternity-cover role focuses on in-season trading, long-term strategy, and developing junior team members, while maintaining strong relationships with brands and

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years of buying fashion experience in a Head Office environment.
• Strong analytical skills with a commercially minded, KPI-driven approach.
• Excellent negotiation capabilities and experience managing external brand relationships.
• Fluent in English (written and spoken). German is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Plan, buy and develop your own brand portfolio, owning performance KPIs and communicating strategy to brand partners.
• Shape mid- and long-term brand strategy aligning with platform strategy, customer profile, trends and competition.
• Translate targets into unit-level brand strategy with autonomous in-season trading and future-season planning.
• Coach and develop junior team members, sharing knowledge and building capabilities.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Content, Logistics, Marketing and Production to align strategy with the wider organisation.

Skills

Buying fashion experience

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

English language

German language

Tools

Google Workspace

MS Office Excel

AI tools Gemini

Job description

As a Category Manager in our Heritage unit, you'll own a portfolio of some of the most strategically significant brands on Zalando's platform, shaping the assortments that define what fashion-forward customers discover next.

You'll take full ownership of your brand portfolio, developing and executing buying strategies that balance creative instinct with commercial precision. From assortment selection and seasonal planning through to in-season trading, you'll steer your business area with autonomy, always keeping the customer perspective and platform targets at the centre of every decision.

Working closely with your unit lead, Merchandising counterparts, and platform teams, you'll translate Business Cluster targets into a brand-level strategy that delivers real impact, both in the current season and beyond. You'll bring functional leadership to the buying team within your unit, acting as a coach and role model for peers while actively contributing to the broader Heritage cluster strategy.

Beyond the numbers, you'll build and maintain trusted relationships with brands and internal stakeholders at all levels, driving mutually beneficial partnerships through clear communication and sharp negotiation. When complex challenges arise, operationally, strategically, or financially you'll tackle them independently, using data to identify opportunities and inform decisions.

Our position is a maternity cover until December 2027.

WHAT WE’D LOVE YOU TO DO (AND LOVE DOING)

• You will plan, buy and develop your own brand portfolio, taking ownership and accountability of performance KPIs and communicating Zalando's strategy to your brand partners.
• You shape the mid- and long-term strategy for your brand portfolio, taking into account Zalando's platform strategy, your customer profile, evolving trends and the competitive landscape, staying fluent in your KPIs and steering seasonal budget and OTB in close collaboration with your Merchandiser to monitor performance and take decisive action
• You translate Business Cluster targets into a unit-level brand strategy, taking autonomous ownership of your business area through both in-season trading decisions and future-season planning
• Through your buying expertise, you support your unit lead in coaching and developing junior team members, sharing knowledge and helping build the capabilities of those around you
• You work and support cross-functionally to drive sales, enhance our customer experience and maximise profit, exchanging regularly with Content, Logistics, Marketing and Production to ensure your strategy moves in sync with the wider organisation
• A minimum of 3 years of buying fashion experience in a Head Office environment
• Knowledge in Google Workspace (Presentations, Sheets, Docs, etc.), MS Office (especially Excel) and Experiences with AI (esp. Gemini) are a plus.
• A strong understanding of the iconic global brand landscape, key consumer audiences, trends, and the cultural drivers behind them.
• Proven ability to develop and execute assortment strategies grounded in customer insight and market intelligence.
• Strong analytical skills with a commercially minded, KPI-driven approach
• Excellent negotiation capabilities and experience managing external brand relationships
• Confidence operating in a fast-paced environment, managing competing priorities across operational and strategic levels.
• A collaborative mindset, you share knowledge, contribute to the team, and elevate those around you.
• You're fluent in English (written and spoken); German is a plus.

OUR OFFER

Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.

• 27 days of holiday a year to start for full-time employees (+1 day for every calendar year up to 30 days)
• 40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Lounge by Zalando, discounts from external partners
• Family support, including counselling and dedicated services for parents and carers
• Company pension scheme
• Employee shares programme
• Health and wellbeing options, including Wellhub
• Mental health support and coaching
• 2 paid volunteering days a year
• Relocation assistance (subject to prior agreement)
  

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

If you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading European technology platform for fashion and lifestyle – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds.

We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential.

We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you.

In some cases we also work with a selection of headhunters and agencies to fill specific roles. Please note that neither Zalando nor our recruiting partners will ask for any kind of payment to apply for a job or attend an interview.

If you have any questions about our recruitment process, please take a look at our FAQ page .

About Zalando

Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando is the leading European technology platform for fashion and lifestyle. Connecting 62 million active customers with more than 7,000 brands across 29 markets, our operations are built on a unique AI-powered data and infrastructure platform. For our customers, our multi-app approach - comprising Zalando, ABOUT YOU, and Lounge by Zalando - delivers an inspiring, highly personalized shopping experience, serving different customers with different needs. For our partners, we are building the operating system for e-commerce. Through ZEOS, Tradebyte, and SCAYLE, we open our logistics, software, and service capabilities to brands and retailers, enabling them to seamlessly scale their businesses across borders.