Senior Specialist, Wine

**About Bonhams**

Bonhams is a global auction house with an 18th century heritage poised for transformative change. Our global operations are based in London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong where we sell in over 60 categories, including motor cars, paintings, jewellery, and entertainment memorabilia.

**About the Department**

Founded in 1997, Bonhams Fine Wine Department provides a global platform for finding, buying and selling some of the finest and rarest wines in the world. Our wine auctions, operated in 3 continents and out of 7 locations, have the widest global profile of all auction houses, with offices and specialists in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Sweden and Hong Kong. We accept consignments from all over the world, stored in our insured, temperate and humidity-controlled warehouses.

Our specialists inspect each bottle of wine sold and taste extensively with consignors to understand the provenance, history and lifespan of the wines we sell. Our team has over two centuries of combined experience valuing, tasting and preparing fine wines for sale and this, along with our extensive and active bidding base, allows us to set numerous auctions records each year.

As a development of this strategic priority, the Wine & Spirits department is looking for a Senior Wine Specialist in Continental Europe, based in France, with the following roles and responsibilities:
**About the Role**

By nature, self-starting, motivated and with an entrepreneurial mindset, they will secure deals, inspect and catalogue wines, and provide precious recommendations to buyers and create series of Wine events.

**Key Tasks and Responsibilities
**Strategy**
- Enhance the visibility of Bonhams Wine and ensure growth.
- Own the P&L for the Continental Europe Wine department including budgeting & forecasting of annual sales working with the Global & Regional Heads
- Work with Client Development Team to develop a client development strategy
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders across the wider business as well as the global Bonhams Wine team to compose, produce and execute interesting, innovative saleDevelop strong and collaborative relationships internally and externally

**Clients Management**
- Senior business getter to meet and exceed budgets set for the department sales in Europe providing support for other regions.
- Be the Head of sales for Paris auction sales
- Maintain and support the ongoing development of a database of customers - both buyers and sellers - for the department
- Maintain contact with established collectors to encourage further business with the company, either as buyers or sellers
- Maintain contact with established trade contacts to encourage further business with the companyMaintain an awareness of our competitor’s strategies to maintain the competitive position of this department in the market

**Expertise**
- Providing expertise, researching and cataloguing wines to the highest standard and be a trainer for the team
- Perform property inspection for wine at Bonhams Wine warehouses and on-site at client’s premises
- Proofing digital catalogues and listings
- Assisting research/cataloguing in other locations when required
- To satisfactorily complete, as and when required, the valuation of customer’s property in timely manner and accurately
- Assist on exhibition events and propose new formats and partnerships
- To promote the department through lectures and other promotional eventsTo support Post-Sale of the sales

**Others**
- Manage the specialist and cataloguer/sales coordinator based in Paris.
- Liaise with the Marketing Team on the production of an advertising and marketing campaign, within the budgets set, to promote the business getting and sales activities of the department
- Working with Specialist, Operations team, oversee preparation of marketing and communication strategies in conjunction with the Marketing, Press and Editorial teams to sell sales.
- Manage wine auctions with a 360 approach and related events
- Produce and manage qualitative proposalsSupport the specialists of the team to encourage their development and knowledge of the market

**Required Skills and Experience**
- 5+ /10 years of relevant professional experience
- Management experience in the fine wine business (wine auction houses, dealers)
- Proven ability to operate in a start-up or similar environment, providing dynamic, strategic leadership combined with hands-on operational drive
- Strong ability to network and convert social connections into business opportunities, professional, discreet and commercial client service skills
- Excellent sales and pipeline management skills
- Excellent time management and organisation skills.
- Good interpersonal and communication skills both written and oral.
- Flexibility and the ability to be a team player.
- Able to work to tight deadlines and under pressure.
- Knowledge of the Spirit trade within an international auction house is an adva