Oribe Retail Education Specialist, UK & Ireland in London

Oribe Hair Care has set the standard for professional hair care within the prestige market. Blending innovative formulations, top‐performing products, award‐winning packaging and unparalleled education, Oribe has become a renowned beauty authority for experienced stylists and taste‐driven consumers alike.

Founded in Japan in 1887, Kao is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives with our high-quality products and services to create a Kirei Life for all – a beautiful life that respects the needs of our consumers and customers as well as the planet. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. As a company driven by purpose and strong corporate values, we pride ourselves to be listed among the World´s Most Ethical Companies since 16 consecutive years. Our corporate philosophy, the Kao Way, guides us in everything we do – acting with integrity, courageously driving innovation, and treating each other with trust and respect.

Reporting to the UK Retail National Account Manager, with a dotted line to the Oribe Education Manager, this role is responsible for the successful delivery of the Oribe education and events programme across the retail channel in the UK & Ireland. The Retail Education Specialist will inspire and educate in-store retail teams, driving brand awareness, sales performance, and new business opportunities while ensuring a consistent and premium brand experience across all retail locations. This is a field-based role requiring regular travel across the UK & Ireland, including store visits, retailer meetings, education sessions, merchandising support, and event activity. The role also supports the day-to-day management of retail accounts, including merchandising, planogram compliance, product launches, and stock monitoring.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with the National Account Manager (Retail & E-commerce) and the Oribe Education Manager to implement education plans across retail accounts, supporting sales growth, brand distribution, and new business objectives.
• Deliver engaging Oribe product knowledge and education sessions through:
• In-store training
• Retailer head office presentations
• Digital learning sessions
• Ensure all merchandising and in-store displays align with agreed planograms and brand standards.
• Monitor stock levels, restock where required, and communicate stock shortages or outages to the Oribe National Account Manager.
• Maintain accurate visual records of merchandising standards, including store and shelf imagery within central team folders.
• Support retail events and promotional activity, including:
• Assisting with event planning and execution
• Providing customer engagement and hands-on support during events
• Representing the brand professionally at all times
• Complete all required administration, reporting, and feedback in a timely and accurate manner.
• Support occasional evening and weekend events where required.

What You’ll Need:

• Minimum 3 years’ experience within FMCG, luxury beauty, or haircare retail environments.
• Good understanding of the retail and professional haircare industry; hairdressing experience is advantageous.
• Experience delivering education programmes, in-store training, and retail events within a retail environment.
• Excellent relationship-building and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across internal teams and retail partners.
• Good technical and product knowledge of haircare products, ideally within the luxury sector, alongside awareness of market trends and brand positioning.
• Highly organised and adaptable, with the ability to manage schedules, prioritise store visits, and respond quickly to changing business needs in a field-based role.
• Competent in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel.
• Flexibility to travel extensively across the UK & Ireland, including occasional overnight stays and weekend work where required.

How we work:

Having been selected among the World´s Most Ethical Companies for 16 consecutive years, we are a company with a purpose and strong corporate values. We never compromise on quality and craft our products with care for the consumer and the environment. At Kao, each employee can actively shape their job and their career. We work collaboratively to achieve our common goals, always aiming to deliver the best for our customers.

What we offer:

• A friendly and flexible work environment with competitive salaries, benefits package, ongoing development and the opportunity to enhance your skills and deliver tangible results.
• At Kao your voice will be heard. Your opinion really counts.
• We believe that change comes from taking opportunities into your own hands, so we value and reward entrepreneurial thinking and innovation.

Hiring Process:

Kao embraces the diversity and the individual personalities of its people because we believe it is diversity that makes us strong. This is why we welcome applications from all areas of the global community.

What you can expect from us:

• An entrepreneurial environment where passionate and innovative teams come together.
• Respect, teamwork and collaboration are at the heart of how we work.
• A workplace culture that prioritises employee wellbeing, with opportunities to get involved in initiatives such as Mental Health First Aiders, the Charity Committee, and DE&I communities (region dependant).
• A broad range of benefits, including flexible working, competitive salaries, health and wellbeing offers, pension / retirement options dependant on location, insurance options, and more…
• Learning and development opportunities.

Your voice matters here — we value entrepreneurial thinking and innovation from our teams.