Merchandising Assistant, Licensing, Soft Accessories

Coach is a global fashion house founded in New York in 1941. Inspired by the vision of Creative Director Stuart Vevers and the inclusive and courageous spirit of our hometown, we make beautiful things, crafted to last—for you to be yourself in.

 

Coach is part of the Tapestry portfolio – a global house of brands committed to stretching what’s possible.

 

A member of the Tapestry family, we are part of a global house of brands that has unwavering optimism and is committed to being innovative and wholly inclusive. Visit Our People page to learn more about Tapestry's commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Primary Purpose: The Licensing Assistant will act as a key member of the Licensed Merchandising team, supporting the development and implementation of Global Merchandising strategies for the licensed businesses across the direct and wholesale channels. The position will report to the Manager and will focus on the Soft Accessories licensed category.

 

The successful individual will leverage their proficiency in Merchandising to...

• Own the category success by driving for results.
• Collaborate closely with licensees through the entire conceptual and development process to ensure teams are hitting development milestones.
• Generate all monthly and quarterly sales reports with actionable analysis. Partner with Merchandise Planning for additional analysis and reporting where needed. 
• Own style set up process using PLM systems. Partner with licensees to ensure style attributes are accurate (including costing, color, product life cycle, etc).
• Participate in the line planning and development process with a strong understanding of the global market and channel unit specific needs/nuances. 
• Assist in Line Presentation prep work (i.e. line lists, assortment presentations, and other buying tools).
• Maintain Product Change Log.
• Support IT, licensees, buying, photography, and all additional teams that touch Dropship to ensure a smooth process.
• Manage samples and coordinate sample/photography set up for business needs.
• Act as liaison to all facets of the business including Product Development, Design, Global Planning, Visual Merchandising and Global Marketing teams to ensure deliverables and product lifecycle calendar deadlines are met.

 

The accomplished individual will possess...

• Self-motivated with a strong sense of urgency and ability to multi-task
• Ability to problem solve creatively to drive for results
• Strong analytical skills and comprehensive understanding of retail math 
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) including presentation skills 
• Strong product sensibility and understanding of competitive retail landscape
• Team-oriented mentality, with ability to interact with partners across the organization 
• Flexible and adaptive attitude to changing priorities; able to organize and prioritize workload to meet deadlines
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word

 

An outstanding professional will have...

• 1+ years of buying /merchandising experience in a related business or brand; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered 
• Team player with a focus on collaboration
• Entrepreneurial spirit, but team oriented. Displays positive attitude, a professional manner and a willingness to assist co-workers at all levels

Our Competencies for All Employees

 

• Courage: Doesn’t hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and “actionable” positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.
• Creativity: Comes up with a lot of new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming settings.
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