Merchandise Manager - E-Commerce Fashion Photo Studio - Straub Collaborative

Location: Edgemere, Maryland 

Fully onsite role 5 days a week 

Reports to: Studio Manager 

At Straub Collaborative, our teams are well-versed in developing stable workflows and infrastructure to handle 500, 2000, or 50,000 samples at a time. We can be in your distribution center and manage 24-hour turnarounds. We can also help you build style guides, manage your DAMs, and leverage your product data more efficiently.

We don't stand up and wave our arms. We don't push. We don't overpromise and under-deliver. We sit at YOUR table. And give you exactly what you need — quality, high-volume, fast-turn content — exactly when you need it. With studios and resources worldwide, we can help you reach the content scalability and production redundancy you want without losing your brand's uniqueness.

Position Summary:

The Merchandise Manager is responsible for transporting all apparel through the studio and ensures items are correctly marked for production, racked in setup/teardown, prepared and de-prepared after completion of imagery, and ensures all sample location moves through the studio both systemically and physically, including receipt, check-in, storage, and exit process are accurate. You'll also be responsible for the re-prioritization of merchandise according to direct client requests or changes in priority due to data feed changes and proactively ensure all rush, quick turn, or late items are trafficked to the appropriate set, to fulfill the image needs as soon as possible. Our Merchandise Manager will work closely with the Project Management staff and Studio Manager on scheduling and maximizing production sets in the short-term and long-term.

Key Accountabilities and Essential Functions:

• Develops expected quality, accuracy, and output goals set by the business rules and project estimations by project.
• Approves final product preparation Quality Assurance review and delivery of the product to production.
• Leads the proactive organization and reprioritization of merchandise daily.
• Leads the product inventory audit process for anchor client products.
• Creates an expectation of their assigned team around a production mindset with a focus on repeatability and consistency to a prescribed style guide.

Position Duties:

• Designs, owns, and evolves processes to allow the seamless flow of merchandise through the production process from receipt to exit.
• Trains and audits the quality of work of staff, co-workers, and team members on the processes and procedures of merchandise receipt, check-in, product preparation, relocation, and product return.
• Requires deep knowledge of proprietary workflow systems, data spreadsheets, and the ability to manipulate data to solve discrepancies and accuracy
• Uses workflow systems and databases to convey status updates and changes of merchandise for multiple parties including the Project Manager and Studio Manager.
• Secures and documents all merchandise as it moves into the studio, through the photo process, and exiting; including tagging and entering/exiting merchandise into a production database or tracking document, as assigned.
• Communicate merchandise issues with all individuals in which merchandise will encounter throughout the photo process including the client.
• Distributes merchandise to all responsible parties throughout the photo process based on photo layouts and photo schedules, as well as collects merchandise after the photo process is completed.
• Manages the physical inventory audit bi-annually.
• Ensures all products are prepared for return to client and initiates shipping coordination as needed.
• Attends pre-production, weekly, and client meetings as needed.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Merchandise Manager provides general supervision of merchandise coordinators, shipping and receiving staff, and all temporary preparation staff. Schedules and recruits permanent and temporary preparation staff as needed, this includes completion of staffing paperwork and timesheets, hiring, firing, and performance management.

Qualifications:

• 4-5 years merchandise management experience in either the apparel/fashion or retail industry with experience managing a small team is required.
• Knowledge of photographic processes such as reading and interpreting style guides.
• Experience in utilizing web-based database management tools is required. (e.g., Shotflow, Workhorse, ProWorkflow).
• Entry-level skill in Microsoft Office software programs, specifically, Word and Excel. Within Excel, the candidate should be able at a minimum to execute a search, sort a list by applying multiple filter settings, populate a new column of data in an existing spreadsheet, and manage file conversions among CSV and text-based files to Excel.
• Experience using MAC operating systems is required.
• Experience using digital communication tools such as Microsoft Teams is desired.
• Ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring seamless execution through stellar organizational and time management skills.
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to focus on a repetitive task and consistently accurate entry of data.
• Solves non-routine problems in collaboration with his or her manager; takes initiative to modify procedures and processes as appropriate and makes contributions that impact work team results.
• Demonstrated planning skills and the ability to prioritize using information around due dates, clients, internal resource skill sets, and when to escalate for assistance and awareness.
• Ability to work both independently and within a changing team.
• Must have proficient basic math skills and ability to read, write, and speak English.
• High school degree or equivalent education.

Culture/ EEO Statement:

Straub Collaborative profoundly embraces diversity and believes in the power of a shared table to bring people together, as we are committed to building a culturally inclusive team. We see diversity and inclusion as central to our organization. This means that we stand up against discrimination and harassment wherever we operate.

Straub Collaborative is committed to providing equal employment opportunity (EEO) and equal pay to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the US. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment Visa currently.

The above declarations are not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the duties and responsibilities of the job described, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job.  Rather, they are intended only to describe the general nature of the job and may be changed as deemed necessary by the company.