Merchandise Associate Jobs in New Jersey

Associate Gifting & Merchandise Project Manager

Our Company:

World Finer Foods is a full-service sales, marketing and distribution company for specialty food and personal care brands. With over $250 million in annual sales, World Finer Foods sells over 35 brands and over 500 products from around the world.

Today we manage a group of our own brands as well as client-owned brands. Our third-party (client-owned) brand portfolio spans multiple categories with brands in a variety of stages of their lifecycles in the U.S. market – from emerging brands to established specialty brands.

World Finer Foods has an opening for an Associate Gifting & Merchandise Project Manager. The successful candidate will have a creative mindset combined with strong project management, analytical, quantitative, vendor relations, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

They will act as the “supply chain owner” of the World Finer Foods ecommerce, club, and seasonal gifting businesses for a portfolio of branded food products, with responsibility for:

• Bring experience and expertise to identify and procure/source vendors to create and produce quality gift and merchandise items. Develop relationships with managing supply chain partners, which may include copackers, materials vendors, channel-specific warehouses, etc.
• Sourcing packaging materials to build innovative gifts and e-commerce packs.
• Managing inventory and copackers that build these special packs.
• Setting/meeting deadlines and proactively tracking project progress.
• Holding external partners and vendors accountable for commitments.
• Utilizing creative outlook and critical thinking skills to resolve any construction-based issues at copackers.
• Managing maintaining project-specific budgets.

• Tracking expenses and billing back partners as needed.

• Project managing cross-functional teams internal and external execution of seasonal gifting and everyday alternate channel businesses.

• Working closely with marketing, e-commerce, and sales teams to design and build e-commerce and gift products that align with consumer and customer expectations and requirements.

• Partnering with finance, sales, marketing, supply chain, etc. to ensure all internal components of project & according to project plan.

• Other duties as determined by management.

Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate will have print and packaging procurement experience along with project management experience in the CPG industry. Experience in designing and building special packs for e-commerce and retail. Vendor relationship management, project management, and heavy cross-functional experience is required. Individual should be able to work both autonomously and in a team environment and proactively deliver business solutions. The successful candidate will be comfortable working in an ever-evolving environment and will bring a positive attitude to the team.

Requirements

• Ability to lead/partner with brand, eCommerce and Gifting teams.
• Strong negotiation/persuasion skills.
• Exceptional time management, project management, and organizational skills.
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Ability to research vendors and copackers and negotiate contracts.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Strong computer (Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint) skills.
• Ability to travel up to 10%.

Experience:

• Experience in the sourcing of packaging materials for consumer goods for holiday gifting and e-commerce.
• Experience with print production, merchandising procurement and project management.
• Experience managing contractors building these gift and e-commerce consumer goods.
• Minimum of 5-7 years of merchandising, purchasing, logistics, or project management.
• CPG industry (food and beverage, beauty, personal care, etc.) experience required.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree is required, preferably in supply chain, marketing, merchandising or related business fields.

Company offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401 (k), life insurance and more.

Position reports to Vice President & Head of Supply Chain and Product Development. The position is full-time, exempt, hybrid (in-office 3x per week) located in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and is available immediately.

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.