- Location
- Manchester England UK
- Employment
- Full-time
- Seniority
- Manager
- Department
- Retail & Boutique Operations
- Industry
- Perfumes, Cosmetics & Prestige Beauty
- Posted
- 28, 2026
About Sephora
Sephora is a global prestige beauty leader, renowned for redefining the retail experience through creativity, inclusivity, and expert service. Founded in France and now part of LVMH, the company brings together an exceptional portfolio of beauty brands with a distinctive culture of discovery and innovation. As an employer, Sephora offers a dynamic, customer-centered environment where talent is encouraged to learn, experiment, and grow across retail, digital, merchandising, operations, and corporate functions. Its teams are united by a passion for beauty, entrepreneurship, and belonging, making Sephora a compelling workplace for professionals seeking impact within a fast-moving international brand.
Sephora is seeking an Area Manager to lead stores across the North West, including Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield, driving team development, client experience, commercial results, and operational excellence. The role is permanent and full-time, with regular regional travel.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop Store Directors and leadership teams to build high-performing, engaged, and inclusive store cultures.
- Recruit, develop, and retain leadership talent to build strong succession pipelines.
- Drive employee engagement and performance through coaching, feedback, and development planning.
- Partner with Store Leadership to achieve and exceed regional sales, productivity, and KPI targets.
- Translate commercial strategies into action and ensure effective execution of campaigns, launches, and business initiatives.
- Analyse market trends, customer insights, and competitor activity to identify opportunities and improve regional performance.
- Champion a client-first approach and ensure consistently exceptional client experiences and service standards across stores.
- Drive adoption and performance of loyalty programmes, services, and client engagement initiatives across the region.
- Lead adherence to operational standards, policies, procedures, and compliance requirements across all stores.
- Monitor inventory, cash handling, shrinkage, merchandising, and store standards to maintain operational excellence.
- Conduct regular store visits, audits, and performance reviews to identify opportunities and drive continuous improvement.
- Support new store openings, relocations, and growth initiatives, ensuring successful execution and team readiness.
- Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to deliver regional priorities and strategic business projects.
Qualifications
- Proven track record of delivering results through people and significant multi-site experience with responsibility for people, commercial performance, and operations.
- Strong track record of leading, coaching, and developing high-performing leadership teams.
- Proven ability to drive sales growth, productivity, and operational excellence across multiple locations.
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to interpret performance data and translate insights into action.
- Exceptional leadership and influencing skills, with experience building strong cultures and engaging diverse teams.
- Passion for delivering outstanding client experiences and creating customer-focused environments.
- Experience leading change, managing competing priorities, and operating effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Strong understanding of retail operations, compliance, stock management, and loss prevention principles.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build relationships at all levels.
- Growth mindset, resilience, and passion for developing future leaders.
- Flexibility to travel regularly across the region and support business needs as required.
- Applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the start of employment and provide relevant evidence; visa sponsorship is unavailable.
Skills
Experience
Minimum 10 years
Workplace
This position is based in Manchester, England, UK.
Explore jobs in England or in the UK.
Benefits
Private healthcare, life assurance, and private pension from day one; annual salary reviews; employee discount across beauty brands; paid birthday leave; access to a wellbeing and perks platform; LVMH Heart Fund support; generous holiday allowance with the option to buy more.
Culture
Sephora fosters a dynamic, inclusive workplace where creativity, curiosity, and a passion for beauty are encouraged at every level. As an employer, it is distinguished by its focus on empowerment, continuous learning, and a collaborative retail culture that celebrates individuality and client-centric innovation.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Sephora, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Regional Retail Manager», «Multi-Site Retail Manager», «District Manager», «Retail Operations Manager», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.