Product Merchandising Specialist

• Full time, On-site

JOB SUMMARY:

The Product Merchandising Specialist involves themselves in the planning, creation, production, and enhancement of area/culture-oriented merchandise for Island Souvenirs, Inc. This role includes area and trend research, product conceptualization and development, sourcing, and cross-functional coordination to bring new products to the market, and ensuring that such align with the company branding, product line design direction, and quality standards.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Research extensively on prospective areas, covering several aspects such as tourist destinations, demographics, competitors, locale elements
• Work hand-in-hand with artists by providing them design briefs for the projects' creative direction, and applying revisions based on management feedback
• Identify and evaluate potential suppliers by assessing product quality, reliability, and budget requirements
• Initiate and lead pricing and Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) negotiations to ensure supplier terms align with budget and inventory needs
• Deliver approved design artwork files to suppliers to start the production process
• Review product samples in accordance to approved design artwork and quality standards
• Liaise with suppliers for revisions derived from inaccurate or defective samples, or with artists for design-related issues in the sampling context
• Coordinate with supplier for the formal quotation of the product, and prepare the final total acquisition cost of the raw materials and printing application
• Partner with the assigned Product Line Head (PLH) to determine final product allocations per branch, ensuring they align with production plans and delivery timelines
• Involves themselves in other assignments/responsibilities relative to the overall productivity of the Merchandising department

JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration major in Marketing
• Management or Operations Management
• Has basic knowledge about productivity applications (Trello, Miro, Google Workspace, Canva)
• Creative thinker with problem-solving capabilities
• Highly organized and with sharp attention to detail
• Knowledgeable in basic product development
• Collaborative and able to work well with different departments
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Strong research skills
• Able to build relationships with clients and suppliers
• Effective project and time management abilities