Freelance Merchandiser

SwagUp; Woodinville (WA); Hybrid; USD 48,216 - 61,992; Part time

Job summary

SwagUp is seeking a Freelance Merchandiser in Woodinville, WA, responsible for developing and curating profitable product assortments. The role requires at least 3-5 years of retail experience and proficiency in MS Office, particularly Excel.

The ideal candidate will negotiate supplier relationships and utilize market intelligence to build effective strategies that align with our client's brands. Compensation is between $35.00 - $45.00 an hour, depending on experience.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3-5 years of relevant retail experience.
• Strong understanding of retail and market intelligence.
• Ability to analyze consumer data effectively.

Responsibilities

• Define seasonal product strategies based on market trends.
• Negotiate and source strategic product assortments.
• Analyze sales data to drive profitability.

Skills

Retail buying experience

Product development

MS Office proficiency

Cross-functional teamwork

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

MS Excel

Smartsheet

PLM/Oracle

Job description

Location Requirements

• Woodinville, WA
• To be considered, you must live within commuting distance from the Woodinville, WA office as we will be onsite 4 days a week.

Job Summary

This is a freelance/contract, hourly role. Will be responsible for independently developing, sourcing, and curating compelling and profitable product assortments for our clients. Negotiate and develop strategic supplier relationships. The merchandiser must earn the trust of internal and external customers by building assortment strategies that deliver creative and profitable products that represent the clients’ brands and speak to the end customer. May be responsible for developing direct reports.

BDA’s ideal merchant is ambitious in nature, detail oriented, comfortable working in cross-functional teams, and passionate about the retail and ecommerce industry. They are organized and adept at time management skills.

Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent combination of work and experience.
• Minimum 3-5 years of retail buying, product development, merchandising and/or planning experience.
• Fluency in MS Office suite including Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
• Retail and customer service experience preferred.
• Smartsheet experience a plus.
• PLM/Oracle experience preferred.

Job Skills & Traits

• Experience initiating, recommending, and implementing merchandise strategies.
• Strong understanding of and ability to apply market intelligence.
• Understanding of retail and the service environment.
• Experience identifying and interpreting product trends.
• Experience analyzing and applying consumer data.
• Track record of building profitable assortment plans.
• Skilled at cross functional influence.
• Experience working with accounts or retail stores to deliver profitable and relevant assortments.
• Works and communicates effectively with cross divisional leadership.
• Actively demonstrates managerial courage and is an advocate for their teams.
• Consensus building skills - Ability to persuade co-workers of the benefits of positive changes.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication and strong interpersonal skills.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Participate in Assortment Analysis meetings and contribute to pre-assortment strategy discussion.
• Define seasonal product strategies that identify future opportunities and trends.
• Ability to take current trends and translate into creative product applicable to client business type.
• Gather new/relevant trend info from WGSN and other trend resources in preparation for new line development.
• Negotiate, build and source strategic and profitable product assortments.
• Independently drive sales through the selection of product, pricing and return on investment.
• Use current and historical data to evaluate what is working effectively or not and create actionable insights that inform the line architecture.
• Demonstrate analytical and critical thinking and how to apply to the business.
• Run weekly merchandise status calls with clients and internal WIP meetings as needed.
• Ensure successful product line presentations to clients.
• Use data and influencing skills to gain partnership from internal partners and clients on assortment strategies to ensure profitability.
• Share productivity of assortment with accounts and internal partners.
• Confidence and ability to articulate and sell a concept to a business team.
• Responsible for areas including compliance, quality, and operational metrics (metrics including compliance, alliance partners, product margin, etc.)
• Negotiate buying terms with suppliers (price, quantity, quality, delivery, etc.).
• Oversee the execution of product launches.

Engagement Type: Freelance / Independent Contractor

Compensation: We are open to reviewing proposed bill rates based on the contractor’s experience, scope of services, and project needs. Final compensation will be agreed upon before engagement begins and documented in the contractor agreement. Our budget currently approved is $35.00 - $45.00 an hour.

BDA Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Must be 18 years or older to apply.