Expert Japanese Art & Antiques

Who we are

A piece of the moon, a complete dinosaur skeleton, the Pope's hat, the world's smallest book - at Catawiki, we come across exceptional objects such as these every day. 

Catawiki is the leading online marketplace to buy and sell special objects. We offer over 75,000 special objects in auction every week — each reviewed and selected by one of Catawiki’s hundreds of in-house experts specialised in Art, Design, Jewellery, Fashion, Classic Cars, Collectables and many more.

We've sold 10 million unique items to date and it’s our mission to become the world’s most popular auction destination for special objects.

We’re an innovative, pioneering and fast-growing scale-up. If you think you can make a difference to our team, go ahead and apply.

About the role

We are looking for a Japanese Art & Antiques expert to support and manage our Japanese Art auctions and onboard new sellers in the Asian market.

What you’ll do

As a Japanese Art & Antiquities expert , you will be closely involved with evaluating and arranging lots submitted by our users. Using your expert knowledge and extensive network, you will be responsible for creating attractive lot listings every week. 

Catawiki strives to keep user transactions as transparent and fair as possible, and your expertise and experience play a large part in maintaining this standard; you know better than anyone what items are of interest to our users. You will review lot titles, descriptions, and pictures, and provide users with an estimated value based on this information. If you need to reject a submission, you do so in a professional and courteous manner. 

We are looking for a candidate with clear domain expertise in Japanese Art & Antiques and a strong network of dealers who are already selling online and are looking to expand their buyer market to Europe. This may include people from within the industry, such as dealers, galleries, curators, artisans, or passionate collectors. 

What you’ll bring

Experts will commit to a full time engagement. We do not necessarily require any diplomas or experience in similar functions, however, we do require:

  • Expert knowledge in Japanese Art & Antiques;

  • Generalist knowledge in Asian Art & Antiques a big plus

  • Professional trading experience on leading platforms such as Catawiki, 1stDibs, Ebay, Yahoo.jp and Japanese Art & Antiques fairs;

  • Understanding how to optimise auction strategies (reserve price, sell rate, cash flow);

  • Good analytical skills, monitoring auction performance and guiding sellers on trends;

  • Documented commercial experience;

  • Excellent communicative skills;

  • Good computer skills;

  • A network of potential sellers and experts in your field;

  • The diplomatic competence needed to act as mediator in disputes between users;

  • Good command of the Japanese and English language (English language course may be provided if needed).

Where you’ll be 

You are based in Japan (preferably) and or Hong Kong, and will work with a work-from-home arrangement.

Here’s what we can offer you

This is your chance to join our mission to fulfill people’s passions as part of a young and dynamic organization. You'll be part of an enthusiastic, highly motivated team of 800+ Catawikians.

Additionally, you can expect:

  • A challenging role in a diverse, international and fast-growing organisation with over 50 nationalities.
  • Regular fun activities both on and offline e.g summer parties, boat rides and regular team events.
  • Great secondary benefits including a holiday allowance and a fantastic pension plan paid for by Catawiki.
  • Hybrid ways of working between home and office. We offer remote and activity-based working, suited to the team and individual responsibilities
  • We care about our teams’ wellbeing and offer a holistic wellbeing programme including our Employee Assistance Programme offering clinical services, single-session therapy, wellness support and more.
  • Tailored learning and development opportunities to support your personal and professional growth;

We want to help you celebrate special occasions in life by:

  • Provide employees with a 100 EURO Catavoucher upon joining and 50 EURO birthday Catavouchers;
  • Extra days of annual leave for work anniversaries at 3, 5, 8 and 10 years;
  • Additional leave allowances for important life events such as moving, engagement & marriage;
  • Each year Catawikians get an additional day’s leave to Pursue their Passion!

Please note that our benefits offering changes depending on which country you are employed in. For our country-specific offering please ask your recruiter.

Our commitment to you

Catawiki’s eclectic team represents an international and intergenerational mix of people from different professional and cultural backgrounds. We foster an inclusive and queer-friendly work environment, committed to making every Catawikian feel welcomed and empowered. Whatever your story, we encourage you to bring your unique perspective to the table.

Catawiki stands with Ukraine and encourages people displaced by the current conflict to apply. In addition to the several initiatives we’ve launched, we’re open to ideas on ways we can continue to support the humanitarian effort.

Our offices and way of working

We have sensational offices in Amsterdam, Groningen, Paris and our newest office in Lisbon. Most of our employees are within commutable distance of one of our office locations and enjoy a hybrid work model. This means we expect you to be in the office 2 out of 5 days, roughly 40% of your working time, to collaborate and connect with each other. The exception is of course, if the job description specifically states that the role is 100% remote, as some experts and sales positions are.

Interested?

Apply directly with an English CV and cover letter by submitting your information at the bottom of this page. By submitting your application you agree to Catawiki’s Applicant Privacy Policy.

If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Flexible Working

We’re continually incorporating hybrid elements, while employees choose how they split their work between the office and home.

Excellent benefits
Our benefits are designed to ensure every Catawikian is energised, focused and thriving.
Recognition programme

We strive to be an employer where your impact is meaningful, visible and rewarded.

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