- Bachelor's degree in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Minimum 2 years of relevant merchandising experience.
- Preferred overall experience of 2–4 years.
- Experience in Soft Toys, Home Furnishing, Home Textiles, Apparel, or Soft Goods industries will be preferred.
- Positive understanding of plush toy materials, fabrics, fillings, trims, and accessories.
- Knowledge of international toy safety standards such as EN71 and ASTM will be an added advantage.
- Good working knowledge of MS Excel and merchandising documentation.
Key Responsibilities
A. Product Development & Sampling
- Assist in handling buyer inquiries, product development, and order execution for soft plush toys.
- Coordinate with Design and Sampling teams for prototype, development, and approval samples.
- Follow up on sample development and ensure timely approvals.
- Maintain sample tracking records and approval status.
B. Buyer Coordination
- Coordinate with buyers regarding sample approvals, order status, and design changes.
- Assist in handling buyer queries and providing regular order updates.
- Maintain effective communication with buyers and internal teams.
C. Order Execution
- Follow up with Production, Procurement, and Quality teams to ensure timely execution of orders.
- Maintain and track Time & Action (T&A;) calendars for all ongoing orders.
- Monitor order milestones and highlight delays or issues to the senior merchandising team.
- Ensure orders are executed as per buyer requirements and committed timelines.
D. Raw Material & Sourcing Coordination
- Support raw material planning and sourcing as per product specifications.
- Coordinate for fabrics, fillings, trims, accessories, and other materials required for production.
- Follow up with vendors and sourcing teams to ensure timely material availability.
E.
Costing & Commercial Coordination
- Assist in product costing and price negotiations.
- Coordinate with sourcing and production teams to obtain costing inputs.
- Maintain costing-related records and ensure timely sharing of required information.
Quality & Compliance
- Ensure products meet defined quality standards and buyer requirements.
- Coordinate with the Quality team regarding inspection and quality-related concerns.
- Support compliance with buyer-specific requirements and international toy safety standards such as EN71 and ASTM.
G. Documentation
- Prepare and maintain merchandising documents such as:
o PI Sheets o Order Sheets o BOMs o Sample Tracking Sheets o Approval Records o T&A; Calendars
- Ensure all merchandising records are updated and maintained accurately.
H. Shipment & Logistics Coordination
- Coordinate with the Logistics team for shipment planning and dispatch schedules.
- Track order readiness and support timely shipment execution.
- Ensure required documentation and approvals are completed before dispatch.
3. Key Deliverables (KRAs)
- Timely sample development and approvals.
- Accurate and updated T&A; calendars.
- Timely order execution as per buyer commitments.
- Effective coordination with internal teams and vendors.
- Timely availability of raw materials.
- Accurate merchandising documentation.
- Timely resolution of order-related issues.
- Support in achieving on-time shipment targets.
- Compliance with buyer quality and product requirements.
- Functional Competencies
- Product Development
- Soft Plush Toy Merchandising
- Buyer Coordination
- Order Execution
- Raw Material Coordination
- Product Costing
- Vendor Coordination
- Production Follow-up
- Time & Action Planning
- Merchandising Documentation
- Quality & Compliance
- MS Excel
- Behavioral Competencies
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong coordination and follow-up ability
- Attention to detail
- Time management
- Problem-solving approach
- Buyer handling and vendor coordination
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Ability to work under pressure