Senior Specialist, Spirits - Americas

Christie's

New York (NY)

On-site

USD 110,000 - 140,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision care

401(k) with employer match

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

Generous paid time off

Wellness stipend

Commuter benefits

CSR day

Employee discounts

Job summary

Christie’s, based in New York, seeks an experienced professional to source and inspect spirits consignments for auction and act as the Americas contact specialist. You will build strong relationships with private and trade clients and coordinate insourcing from our New York and LA warehouses.

You will manage the end-to-end auction process, including cataloguing, lot photography coordination, and production of essays. A senior role requiring deep knowledge of spirits markets and authentication.

Qualifications

8+ years in a spirits-related role with auction experience.
Strong pricing and authentication knowledge.
Proven ability to manage domestic and international client relationships.
Skilled in valuing rare spirits and negotiating deals.
Able to lead by example and work cross-functionally in a large organization.
Excellent communication and discretion with confidential information.
Strong attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Serve as a business-getter, evaluating, pricing, and securing Spirits for auctions.
Arrange on-site client visits and collection pack-ups.
Attend warehouse visits and inspections and log data into cataloguing databases.
Project-manage the life cycle of an auction and coordinate lot photography with marketing.
Write catalogue essays and producer headers.
Develop relationships with novices and seasoned collectors and local trade clients.
Engage with Client Strategy and regional teams to target consignments.
Negotiate deals that are compelling to sellers and financially sound.
Split work between Rockefeller Center offices and the Wine & Spirits warehouse.

Skills

Client relationship management

Negotiation

Project management

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

WSET Advanced Certification (L3)

Job description

The Company

Christie’s, the world’s largest Art Business, is an incredibly exciting & enriching place to start or continue your career. Whether you work within one of our Specialist Art Departments, or in one of our more Operational teams, we are all working together with one common goal in mind: to continue the success of this 250 year old company, steeped in history, bringing fresh ideas whilst not forgetting our shared values; Integrity, Excellence, Innovation, Responsibility & Relationships. Colleagues across all departments are truly passionate about what they do and it is inspiring to work with industry leaders across our business.

Why this role matters

Based in New York, this role will be responsible for sourcing and inspecting spirits consignments for auction, acting as the contact specialist for the Americas. Building close relationships with key stake holders in internally the role also develops close relationships with local private, trade and spirits producing clients. Act as local inspector for consignments arriving direct into the New York and LA warehouse facilities.

How You Will Make An Impact

Business Getting & Client Development

Serve as a business-getter, evaluating, pricing, and securing Spirits property for domestic and international auctions.
Arrange and coordinate on-site client visits and collection pack-ups
Attend regular warehouse visits and inspections – entering information into Christie’s cataloguing databases.
Project manage the life cycle of an auction, including coordination of lot photography and with marketing/creative teams on auction initiatives.
Write and prepare catalogue essays and producer headers
Establish and cultivate long term relationships with novice and seasoned collectors of spirits as well as local trade clients and producers; attend networking tasting and dinner events
Actively engage with Client Strategy and regional representatives to develop programming as well as strategize consignment targeting.
Negotiate competitive deals that are both compelling to the seller and financially sound for the company.
Continue to follow existing processes and approval matrix for structuring and negotiating deals.
Work split between Rockefeller Center offices and the Wine & Spirits warehouse

What You Will Bring To The Team

8y+ of professional experience in a comparable spirits related role, preferably auction, with sound market knowledge of current pricing an authentication trends
WSET Advanced Certification (L3) or comparable education preferred
Demonstrated knowledge of domestic and international client relationship management
Skilled with valuation of rare spirits and commercial deal negotiation
Ability to lead by example and collaboratively work cross-functionally in a large organization
Strong ability to project manage, with accountability for the full sale process and ability to prioritize multiple deadlines
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including superior written and spoken communication.
Discretion and the ability to work with confidential information
Strong attention to detail

What’s Great About Working For Us

Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision care plans for employees and dependents (On average, Christie’s pays 80% of total premiums)
401(k) Savings Plan – Christie’s provides a matching contribution up to 5% (subject to IRS limits)
Life Insurance - 3x base salary up to $400k (100% paid by Christie’s)
Disability Insurance (100% paid by Christie’s)
Generous time-off and leave policies; including 100% Paid Family Leave up to 16 weeks.
Fitness Reimbursement Program: reimbursement of eligible fitness fees and memberships up to $600 per year
Annual Discretionary Performance Bonus Plan
Commuter Benefits - Pre-tax money towards your daily commute with a Christie’s contribution of $21 per month
Back Up Child & Elder Care – up to 10 days of back-up Child or Elder Care through Bright Horizons
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Day- Each employee receives one paid day per year to dedicate your time to a charity of your choice.
Perks and Discounts through Zo and Plum Benefits

Christie’s, Inc. is committed to principles of equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, and to compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, Christie’s Inc. ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants, regardless of race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status or liability status for service in the United States Armed Forces.