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 260 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
The Private Sales Manager is responsible for supporting the growth, governance, and execution of private sales for Luxury Jewellery and Watch categories, while completing operational and project management duties.Acting as a cross-regional ambassador, this role works closely across several workstreams including Specialists, Client Strategy, Business Management, Operations, and Marketing. This role could be hired in either our Geneva, London, Paris or Dubai office.
How You'll Make an Impact
Business Development and Client Strategy
Drive the growth of the Luxury Private Sales business globally, identifying and capturing opportunities across the market.
Maintain a strong awareness of key market players, collectors, and active clients, ensuring visibility and alignment across specialist teams
Strengthen object intelligence to generate transaction opportunities and identify strategic lots for future sales
Prepare monthly Jewels & Watches private sale inventory document, including fact sheets and appropriate photography – ensure updated on relevant Christie’s databases for global stakeholders
Work closely with Client Strategy to enhance client engagement, develop a targeted Private Sales client base, and ensure client accounts are accurately maintained and shared
Identify opportunities during post-auction debriefs by deepening understanding of client wish lists and collaborating with Client Strategy to centralize this intelligence; integrate wishes into runners and sales documents
In collaboration with Client Strategy, collect and analyze data from selling exhibitions or initiatives to support and deduce success levels, and produce quarterly reviews
Business Management and Governance
Possess detailed knowledge of the correct governance and diligence rules for Private Sales and instill best practices across the Luxury Cluster
Track monthly progress vs budget and ensure timely communication to PS Specialist team, Heads of Dept, and RMDs
Support effective collaboration between the Private Sales team, auction Specialists, and regional representatives to identify collaboration opportunities, and deliver strategic and financial objectives
Review consignments in partnership with the Specialist teams, approve terms as able (following the agreed thresholds), and escalate to RMD and/or GMD as required
Project Management
Plan and execute strategic calendar of global luxury selling exhibitions and private viewings, including budgeting and cost management
Coordinate with shipping, inventory, security, and operations teams to manage event logistics, including case rentals, logistical coordination, risk assessments
Partner with Exhibition Coordinator and Specialist lead on selling exhibition projects, monitoring the pipeline according to the pre-exhibition targets and keeping track of sales and financials
What you’ll bring to the team
Minimum 5 years work experience in auction or the luxury sector
Exceptional organizational and project management skills, including ability to multi-task, prioritize, and manage multiple workstreams
Strong understanding of the primary and secondary luxury markets, particularly for Jewellery and Watches
Strong communication skills and the ability to handle confidential information with discretion
Experience with contract management, private sale commercial negotiation, budgets, and cost management
Strategic mindset and results driven, with proven ability to deliver on time-sensitive projects with a teamwork mindset
Ability to work independently and as part of a global team
Closing Date: Sunday 19th April
#LI-Hybrid
Founded in 1766, Christie’s is a world-leading art and luxury business. Renowned and trusted for its expert live and online auctions, as well as its bespoke private sales, Christie’s offers a full portfolio of global services to its clients, including art appraisal, art financing, international real estate and education. Christie’s has a physical presence in 46 countries, throughout the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific, with flagship international sales hubs in New York, London, Hong Kong, Paris and Geneva. It also is the only international auction house authorized to hold sales in mainland China (Shanghai).
Christie’s auctions span more than 80 art and luxury categories, at price points ranging from $200 to over $100 million. In recent years, Christie’s has achieved the world record price for an artwork at auction (Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvador Mundi, 2017), for a single collection sale (the Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller, 2018), and for a work by a living artist (Jeff Koons’ Rabbit, 2019).
Christie’s Private Sales offers a seamless service for buying and selling art, jewellery and watches outside of the auction calendar, working exclusively with Christie’s specialists at a client’s individual pace.
Recent innovations at Christie’s include the groundbreaking sale of the first NFT for a digital work of art ever offered at a major auction house (Beeple’s Everydays, March 2021), with the unprecedented acceptance of cryptocurrency as a means of payment. As an industry leader in digital innovation, Christie’s also continues to pioneer new technologies that are redefining the business of art, including the creation of viewing and bidding experiences that integrate augmented reality, global livestreaming, buy-now channels, and hybrid sales formats.
Christie’s is dedicated to advancing responsible culture throughout its business and communities worldwide, including achieving sustainability through net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
