Sample Manager

Self-Portrait; City Of London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Self-Portrait, alongside Roland Mouret, seeks a proactive Sample Manager to oversee cross-brand sample operations, ensuring accurate tracking, allocation and timely availability across seasonal collections and markets.

You will collaborate with Design, Product Development, Technical, Ecommerce, PR and international partners, maintain inventories, schedules, and reporting, and drive process improvements while managing competing priorities.

Qualifications

• Experience in sample management, collection coordination or fashion operations.
• Strong team coordination and prioritisation skills.
• Proactive problem solving and process improvement mindset.
• Excellent communication with multiple stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of collection lifecycles and timelines.

Responsibilities

• Oversee sample receipt, allocation, distribution, tracking and returns across both brands.
• Create the yearly sample timeline, forecast bottlenecks and allocate team resources.
• Coordinate sample deliveries and handovers with Product Development, Sales and Technical teams.
• Manage sample inventories with accurate location, availability and item status.
• Plan sample movements for international PR agencies, showrooms and regional partners.
• Oversee sample requests, send-outs and returns for PR, VIP, press and ecommerce.
• Maintain and optimise Launchmetrics Sample Manager, reporting tools and trackers.
• Coordinate daily team priorities, training and workload distribution.
• Collaborate across departments to resolve operational issues and improve processes.

Skills

Sample management experience

Team coordination

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Excel reporting

Launchmetrics experience

Job description

Role Overview

The Sample Manager oversees sample operations across Self-Portrait and Roland Mouret, ensuring the accurate tracking, allocation and availability of samples across seasonal collections and international markets.

Working closely with Design, Product Development, Technical, Ecommerce, PR, VIP and international partners, the role requires strong organisational skills, thourough understanding of collection timelines and the ability to manage competing priorities.

The Sample Manager coordinates daily team operations and priorities, maintains accurate inventory and reporting, and identifies opportunities to improve processes and cross-departmental communication.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee sample receipt, allocation, distribution, tracking and returns across both brands.
• Create the yearly sample timeline, forecast bottlenecks and allocate team resources accordingly
• Coordinate sample deliveries and handovers with Product Development, Sales and Technical teams.
• Manage sample inventories, ensuring accurate records of locations, availability and outstanding items.
• Oversee and plan sample and movements according to the sample timeline for international PR agencies, showrooms and regional partners.
• Oversee sample requests, send-outs and returns for PR, VIP, press and ecommerce.
• Maintain and optimise Launchmetrics Sample Manager, reporting tools and seasonal trackers.
• Coordinate daily team priorities, training and workload distribution.
• Work across departments to resolve operational issues, anticipate requirements and improve processes.

Skills & Experience

• Experience in sample management, collection coordination or fashion operations.
• Ability to coordinate a team, delegate tasks and manage daily priorities.
• Proactive and creative approach to problem-solving and process improvement.
• Confident communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong understanding of the fashion collection lifecycle and development timelines.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple collections and competing deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and experience managing extensive inventories or product data.
• Excel skills, reporting and dashboard creation experience.
• Experience working with Launchmetrics.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a highly organised, proactive and solutions-oriented individual who thrives in a fast-paced fashion environment.

The ideal candidate is experienced in managing complex workflows, confident coordinating multiple stakeholders and taking ownership of operational processes. They should combine excellent attention to detail with the ability to anticipate challenges, prioritise effectively and improve existing ways of working.