Senior Specialist, Wine & Spirits

Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers Corporation; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 480,000 - 820,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 days annual leave

Private Health Care

Job summary

Bonhams in Hong Kong invites a Senior Specialist/Specialist to join its Wine & Spirits department, a global market leader in fine wine and rare spirits. You will develop consignments, advise clients, and curate catalogues for auctions and private sales.

The role requires strong communication, industry relationships, and ability to travel; experience in auctions preferred; you will work with Marketing and Operations on pre-sale activities and event tastings.

Qualifications

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication and networking skills.
• Detail-oriented, well-organized.
• Ability to travel as necessary.
• Familiar with MS applications, able to work within our business enterprise software.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with leading collectors, investors, and trade partners in the fine wine & spirits market.
• Identify and secure major consignments of rare and investment-grade wine & spirits for auction and private sale.
• Provide tailored advice to clients on buying, selling, and building collections and develop long-term partnerships.
• Represent Bonhams at industry events, tastings, and private client engagements.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Operations for pre-sale activities and assist with auction days.
• Catalogue wine & spirits and assist with preparation of the catalogues on time.
• Conduct valuations and appraisal of wine & spirits collections for auction, private sale, and advisory purposes.
• Maintain knowledge of global trends in collectible fine wine and rare spirits.

Skills

Communication skills

Networking

Detail-oriented

Travel availability

MS Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Tools

MS Office

Job description

About Bonhams

Founded in 1793, Bonhams is one of the world's leading auction houses — defined by connection, and home to the curious.

With over 230 years of expertise, Bonhams operates a global network of trusted specialists across 24 countries, including flagship salerooms in London, New York, Paris and Hong Kong. Across more than 60 specialist categories, Bonhams serves collectors of every kind — from emerging to established — with the objects, stories and expertise that define their collecting journey.

Beyond auctions, Bonhams is both a destination for discovery and for industry-leading services and support. Its rotating programme of exhibitions and public programming is free and open to all, reflecting a longstanding commitment to curiosity, cultural conversation and the enduring power of objects.

Bonhams: A house built on knowledge. Defined by connection. Home to the curious.

For forthcoming auctions and details of specialist departments, visit Bonhams.com.

About the department

The Wine & Spirits department is a global market leader in fine and rare collectible bottles, recognized for record-setting auctions and trusted relationships with the world’s most sophisticated collectors. With flagship sales in Hong Kong, London, New York, and Paris, Bonhams has established itself as a major force in the secondary market for fine wine and rare spirits.

In your role as Senior Specialist/ Specialist, you will be required to carry out the following:

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

Business Development & Consignment Sourcing

• Develop relationships with leading collectors, investors, and trade partners in the fine wine & rare spiritsmarket.
• Identifyand secure major consignments of rare and investment-grade wine & spirits for auction and private sale by building and managing a pipeline of opportunities.

Client Development & VVIP Engagement

• Providetailored advice to clients on buying, selling, and building collections and develop long-term partnerships.
• Represent Bonhams at industry events, tastings, and private client engagements.

Auction Curation & Specialist Expertise

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Marketing, and Operations, for pre-sale activities
• Assisting with all aspects of Auction Days – setting up auction, telephone bidding, absentee bidding
• Organize and assist in department tasting events
• Catalogue wine & spirits, and assist with preparation of the catalogues on a timely basis to meet deadlines

Valuation & Appraisal

• Conduct appraisals of rarewine & spiritscollections for auction, private sale, and advisory purposes.
• Work closely with warehouse partners to receive, inspect, assess, catalogue, and prepare inventory lots for auction, ensuring accuracy and compliance with operational standards.

Market Intelligence & Strategic Insight

• Maintain deep knowledge of global trends in collectible fine wine and rare spirits.
• Collaborate with global Wine & Spirits specialists to expand the department’s reach and reputation.

In addition to the tasks and responsibilities listed, you may be required to perform other duties as assigned by your manager.

Key Skills and Experience

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent work experience
• Relationships with established dealers and collectors in the field.
• Proven experience in the specialty field and/or in the auction industry.
• Strong written and verbal communication and networking skills.
• Detail-oriented, well-organized individual.
• Ability to prioritize and meet strict scheduled deadlines.
• Familiar with MS application, able to work within our business enterprise software.
• Ability to travel as necessary

What We Offer

Some of our benefits and perks include:

• 20 days annual leave
• Private Health Care

We thank you for your interest in this position but please note that we will only contact candidates chosen for further consideration.

Bonhams is an Equal Opportunity Employer. As part of our commitment to fight for equality, we work to ensure a fair and consistent interview process. We celebrate diversity and we are committed to an inclusive work environment.