Fashion & Apparel OPT Jobs in Wisconsin
F-1 OPT fashion and apparel jobs in Wisconsin are concentrated in Milwaukee and Madison, where companies like Kohl's Corporation and outdoor-lifestyle brands with apparel divisions maintain design, merchandising, and buying operations. Wisconsin's apparel sector blends retail corporate roles with regional manufacturing, giving OPT students practical training options across the supply chain.
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Get Access To All JobsINTRODUCTION
You have a choice of where you want to work! We invite you along on our journey to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people, like you, by investing in your professional development and providing opportunities for personal growth.
Do your values align with ours? Accountability, Growth mindset, One team, Care and a fair and inclusive work environment for everyone, everywhere!
We strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business. Are you with us?!?
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Customer Service Specialist manages assigned customer accounts from entry to delivery, ensuring the customer’s expectations are met or exceeded. This person must use exceptional communication skills to build successful relationships with each customer, as well as our sales and manufacturing personnel, to ensure the customer's expectations are achieved. The goal is to provide excellent service and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. This position is offered a hybrid work schedule.
Customer Service Specialist responsibility includes the following:
- Must follow Ahlstrom’s manufacturing and hygiene processes, procedures and policies, as applicable, to the position’s areas of responsibility, in order to meet and maintain the safety, quality, and regulatory compliance requirements for each grade of paper.
- Efficiently and accurately execute the order management process from entry to delivery for assigned accounts to ensure customer expectations are met.
- Provide back-up support for other Customer Service Specialists during vacation and other absences.
- Serve as primary contact for customers, build and maintain relationships to understand and respond to the customer’s needs.
- Involvement in customer visits and hosting onsite meetings.
- Promptly respond to all customer inquiries and offer first-call resolution and/or alternatives.
- Proactively anticipate problems and initiate solutions before they become major issues.
- Support inventory management by monitoring and reporting inventory status and initiate recommendations and actions to adjust and/or replenish inventory levels so working capital targets are achieved.
- Learn all the steps of the order fulfillment process using associated systems and applications.
- Assist with Logistics related tasks – vacation back up support, fill in as needed.
- Foster relationships with sales and marketing professionals to ensure accurate order pricing and product on all customer orders. Provide timely, complete, and direct information to communicate within the organization and the customer base.
- Prepare clear, concise reports, documentation, and routine customer correspondence.
- All other assignments assigned by management.
This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions and may not necessarily comprise all the “essential functions” for purposes of ADA.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelors degree in Business, Supply Chain or related field preferred
- Good written and verbal communication skills as well as teamwork skills
- Currently authorized to work in the US
- Ability to commute to office location in Kaukauna, WI
- Prior industry experience, or proven track record, in providing full-service delivery for customer accounts
- Must have strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
- Proficiency in MS Office software required
- Familiarity and/or experience with JD Edwards order/business management system and CRMS (Customer Relationship Management System) preferred
Ahlstrom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal opportunity is a sound and just concept to which we are firmly bound. Ahlstrom will not engage in discrimination against, or harassment of, any person employed or seeking employment with our company based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, non-disqualifying disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.
About us
Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders. Our Filtration and Life Sciences, Food and Consumer Packaging, and Protective Materials segments, along with the Performance Materials Cluster, address global trends with safe and sustainable solutions. Our net sales in 2025 amounted to EUR 2.9 billion and we employ some 7,000 people.
INTRODUCTION
You have a choice of where you want to work! We invite you along on our journey to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to attract, retain, and energize passionate people, like you, by investing in your professional development and providing opportunities for personal growth.
Do your values align with ours? Accountability, Growth mindset, One team, Care and a fair and inclusive work environment for everyone, everywhere!
We strive to meet the highest standards of corporate citizenship by protecting the health and safety of our team, safeguarding the environment, and creating a long-lasting, positive impact on the communities where we do business. Are you with us?!?
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Customer Service Specialist manages assigned customer accounts from entry to delivery, ensuring the customer’s expectations are met or exceeded. This person must use exceptional communication skills to build successful relationships with each customer, as well as our sales and manufacturing personnel, to ensure the customer's expectations are achieved. The goal is to provide excellent service and maintain a high level of customer satisfaction. This position is offered a hybrid work schedule.
Customer Service Specialist responsibility includes the following:
- Must follow Ahlstrom’s manufacturing and hygiene processes, procedures and policies, as applicable, to the position’s areas of responsibility, in order to meet and maintain the safety, quality, and regulatory compliance requirements for each grade of paper.
- Efficiently and accurately execute the order management process from entry to delivery for assigned accounts to ensure customer expectations are met.
- Provide back-up support for other Customer Service Specialists during vacation and other absences.
- Serve as primary contact for customers, build and maintain relationships to understand and respond to the customer’s needs.
- Involvement in customer visits and hosting onsite meetings.
- Promptly respond to all customer inquiries and offer first-call resolution and/or alternatives.
- Proactively anticipate problems and initiate solutions before they become major issues.
- Support inventory management by monitoring and reporting inventory status and initiate recommendations and actions to adjust and/or replenish inventory levels so working capital targets are achieved.
- Learn all the steps of the order fulfillment process using associated systems and applications.
- Assist with Logistics related tasks – vacation back up support, fill in as needed.
- Foster relationships with sales and marketing professionals to ensure accurate order pricing and product on all customer orders. Provide timely, complete, and direct information to communicate within the organization and the customer base.
- Prepare clear, concise reports, documentation, and routine customer correspondence.
- All other assignments assigned by management.
This is not an exhaustive list of duties or functions and may not necessarily comprise all the “essential functions” for purposes of ADA.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelors degree in Business, Supply Chain or related field preferred
- Good written and verbal communication skills as well as teamwork skills
- Currently authorized to work in the US
- Ability to commute to office location in Kaukauna, WI
- Prior industry experience, or proven track record, in providing full-service delivery for customer accounts
- Must have strong written, verbal, and interpersonal skills
- Proficiency in MS Office software required
- Familiarity and/or experience with JD Edwards order/business management system and CRMS (Customer Relationship Management System) preferred
Ahlstrom is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal opportunity is a sound and just concept to which we are firmly bound. Ahlstrom will not engage in discrimination against, or harassment of, any person employed or seeking employment with our company based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, non-disqualifying disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.
About us
Ahlstrom is a global leader in combining fibers into sustainable specialty materials. Our purpose is to Purify and Protect, with Every Fiber, for a Sustainable World. We aim to be the Preferred Sustainable Specialty Materials Company for all our stakeholders. Our Filtration and Life Sciences, Food and Consumer Packaging, and Protective Materials segments, along with the Performance Materials Cluster, address global trends with safe and sustainable solutions. Our net sales in 2025 amounted to EUR 2.9 billion and we employ some 7,000 people.
OPT Fashion & Apparel Job Roles in Wisconsin
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Search Fashion & Apparel Jobs in WisconsinFashion & Apparel OPT Sponsorship Jobs in Wisconsin: Frequently Asked Questions
Which fashion and apparel companies sponsor F-1 OPT visas in Wisconsin?
Kohl's Corporation, headquartered in Menomonee Falls, is Wisconsin's most prominent fashion and apparel employer and has hired OPT students in merchandising, product development, and e-commerce roles. Smaller regional apparel brands and specialty retailers in Milwaukee also participate in OPT hiring. Because OPT authorization comes from your school, not a formal employer petition, companies that might hesitate at H-1B visa sponsorship are often more open to hiring OPT students.
Which cities in Wisconsin have the most fashion and apparel F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs?
Milwaukee and its suburbs, particularly Menomonee Falls and Brookfield, account for the largest share of fashion and apparel OPT opportunities in Wisconsin, driven largely by Kohl's corporate campus. Madison has a smaller but growing retail and brand marketing sector connected to the University of Wisconsin community. Outside these two metros, fashion and apparel roles are limited, so most OPT job seekers focus their search on the Milwaukee area.
What types of fashion and apparel roles typically qualify for F-1 OPT sponsorship?
F-1 OPT covers any role directly related to your field of study, so qualifying fashion and apparel positions depend on your degree. A fashion merchandising graduate can work in buying, planning, or visual merchandising. A textile engineering or design student can work in product development or quality assurance. Roles in e-commerce, supply chain analytics, and brand marketing within apparel companies also commonly qualify when the employer's job description aligns with the student's academic program.
How do I find fashion and apparel F-1 OPT sponsorship jobs in Wisconsin?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for international students and filters job listings by visa type, including F-1 OPT, so you can browse fashion and apparel openings in Wisconsin without sorting through roles that don't support OPT. Beyond using Migrate Mate, connecting with your university's career services office and attending Milwaukee-area retail industry networking events can surface opportunities at companies like Kohl's that recruit locally for OPT-eligible positions.
Are there any state-specific considerations for F-1 OPT in Wisconsin's fashion and apparel industry?
Wisconsin does not impose additional state-level work authorization requirements beyond federal OPT rules, so your EAD card issued by USCIS is sufficient to work for any qualifying employer in the state. One practical consideration is that Wisconsin's fashion sector is heavily concentrated in corporate retail rather than design studios, meaning OPT students with merchandising, business, or supply chain backgrounds may find more openings than those seeking pure design roles. Confirming that your job duties align with your degree program is important for maintaining valid OPT status.