Merchandising Sample Coordinator

Job Summary

Balsam Brands is looking for an organized individual to join our growing team.  This individual must be detail-oriented, a great multi-tasker, and someone who “rolls up their sleeves” to take action and enjoys the retail environment.

The Merchandising Sample Coordinator, GE will be responsible for a wide variety of office and warehouse activities.  The Sample Coordinator role is responsible for organizing products for the GE Merchandising team initiatives including but not limited to product development samples, wholesale customer samples, brand photo shoots and PR and press events. The Merchandising Sample Coordinator, GE will work closely with the GE Merchant team processing inbound shipments, inspecting for QA, testing, labelling and organizing samples, and pulling products upon request.  Travel to location shoots and support during shoots is required.

This role will report to the Senior Merchant, GE. 

This is a full-time, in-office (not remote) position located in Burlingame, CA.

Job Specifications

What you’ll do:

·       Work in our Burlingame warehouse and office with our Merchandising team to ensure sample products kept in the warehouse are organized including sample receiving & inventory

·       Pull, ship, and inventory products for Merchandising, Wholesale Customers, and Photo Shoot needs. 

·       Coordinate pulling samples for photo shoots and shipments to suppliers and wholesale customers. 

·       Develop and maintain sample tracker and communicate with factories on sample needs and deadlines ensuring the proper placard markings and tags are used. Update tracker and clearly communicate changes with factories as needed throughout the selling season.

·       Ensure all items are properly tagged and with the proper prototype to production version.  Properly discard samples as needed. Send Golden Samples to factories ahead of production.

·       Create DHL & FedEx labels for shipments

·       Prepare supplies needed for sell-in meetings to properly display the product.

·       Arrange shipments of products to obtain product and / or send product to various locations for GE.

·       Become a product expert, understand and be able to explain and demonstrate the features and functions of each item in the assortment.

·       Attend location photo shoots and assist in unloading and preparing merchandise for photography and be the GE Merchandising point person to answer product-specific questions, trouble shoot on location.  

·       Perform field testing and preliminary safety test protocols on all GE items as part of the GE tollgate process.

·       Assist with the planogramming process for retail customers - physically set mock planograms and use software to create virtual planograms to share with wholesale customers.

·       Assist with packaging die line optimization and standardization across GE Lighting and help gather product dimensions used for retailer pitch templates and GE packaging

·       Collaborate with the Creative and Merchandising teams to maintain organized spaces; take pride in the appearance of the facility; take necessary action to maintain the cleanliness of the warehouse and surrounding area 

·       Other tasks as need to support the GE Merchandising team

·       Physical requirements include: 

o   Regularly lift and/or move items up to forty pounds. 

o   Occasionally lift and/or move items more than forty pounds with other team members. 

What you bring to the table:   

·       1+ year of retail experience, visual Merchandising & planogramming experience is a plus.  

·       Ability and comfort working in a warehouse environment

·       Exceptional organization skills and attention to detail, strong problem-solving skills. Demonstrated time management and multi-tasking skills  

·       Clear written and verbal communication

·       Valid driver’s license and proof of insurance (this job requires driving on company time) 

·       Genuine interest to work cross-functionally with and learn from our Merchandising Team 

·       Honest, enthusiastic, and hard-working approach; willingness to roll up your sleeves and get the job done 

·       Proactive mindset with proven ability to follow directions and work with minimum supervision. 

·       Flexibility and willingness to perform other various duties as required. 

·       Strong communication and teamwork skills 

·       Proficiency using MS Office is a plus, specifically MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; and/or a willingness to learn 

About Us: Balsam Brands is a global, omnichannel retailer with roots in holiday and home décor. We strive for excellence in everything we do and present a unique opportunity for those seeking to have a meaningful impact in a people-first company that values relationship building, authenticity, and doing the right thing. We have steadily growing teams in Boise, the Bay Area, Dublin, Canada, Mexico and the Philippines.

The company's mission is to create joy together. We empower our team and partners to love what they do, provide products and experiences that inspire meaningful moments with family and friends, and give back to our families and communities in impactful ways. When you join Balsam Brands, you'll find a culture of caring people doing challenging work and building a welcoming workplace.

• Check out our flagship brand, Balsam Hill: balsamhill.com
• Balsam Brands in Forbes: https://bit.ly/balsambrandsforbes2023

• Balsam Brands on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/balsam-brands/
• Glassdoor: https://bit.ly/balsambrands-glassdoor

At Balsam Brands, we strive to offer a competitive compensation and benefits package. For permanent, full-time team members, our current package includes:

• Competitive compensation, including a cash-based incentive plan; salary is reviewed yearly and may be adjusted as part of the normal compensation review process
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, with 100% of monthly premiums covered for team members, and 85%+ employer-paid premiums for other coverage tiers that include dependents
• Up to $2,000 annual funding toward HSA accounts
• Medical, transit, dependent care FSA
• Infertility coverage offered on all medical plans
• Generous parental leave program and flexible return options
• Company-paid life and AD&D insurance
• Company-paid short and long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar company match up to $4,000 per calendar year
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and other mental health and wellness perks
• Paid holidays, annual shutdown week, PTO, and volunteer time-off (VTO) packages
• Paid 5-week sabbatical leave after 10 years of employment
• Annual continuous learning benefit up to $1,000 per person, per fiscal year
• Up to $300 flexible reimbursement to support setup of new team member's work-from-home environment
• Generous team member merchandise discount
• Valuable extras: identity theft protection, subsidized parking, monthly wellness, pet insurance, accident & critical illness insurance

The base pay range for this position is: $27.00 to $33.00/hr. Where an individual falls within that range will vary based on several factors including geographic location and may vary depending on candidate qualifications and experience, applicable skills, and other job-related factors. We benchmark our pay ranges against current external data sources and regularly review compensation for our team members. Balsam Brands is committed to providing our team members with an internally fair, externally competitive, and fiscally prudent total compensation package administered in a simple and consistent manner.

At Balsam Brands, we strive to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive team to fulfill our purpose to create joy together. Balsam Brands is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, citizenship, marital or family status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy or caregiver status, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application and interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.