Director, Merchandising Project Management

Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc.•New York, NY

About The Position

The Director, Merchandising Project Management is responsible for the execution and completion of branded projects, ensuring they are completed at or below estimated costs within the approved timeline. This role serves as the primary contact during production, updating key functional areas and collaborating closely with internal support functions such as purchasing, finance and accounting, and design/creative. The Director also works with third-party vendors and direct account contacts as needed.

Requirements

Candidate should be mechanically inclined, able to contribute to functional design challenges.
Solid "instincts" for problem-solving, collaboration, and teamwork.
Demonstrated detail-oriented organizational and communication skills.
Proactive, with an ability to sell one’s ideas in a confident manner.
Ability to manage details, prioritize work and work independently and with a sense of urgency.
Top-notch interpersonal skills, both written and oral.
5 plus years’ relevant experience in manufacturing, design, industrial design, and/or project management, or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Involved from the initial concept discussions through completion of project.
Provide technical knowledge to influence design, working with third party vendors to create sketches, specifications and prototypes to meet the project requirements in features, quality, and commitment dates.
Receive from vendors and prepare project estimate/quote information. Outline CWA commitments required, noting risk or uncertainty in the quoted costs and lead times.
Follow Project Management SOPs as defined and amended.
Oversee, track and manage all aspects with clear and trackable communication both internally and externally projects with clear stage and completion deliverables.
Communicate accurately and effectively with internal stakeholders keeping them informed of the critical dates and project progress.
Prepare a component sheet for each project and work with purchasing to secure outside materials and services noting receiving QC requirements and who will perform the receiving QC check.
Provide fulfillment (distribution) with samples for assemblies and sub-assemblies, component sheets and packing/shipping requirements.
Responsible for scheduling and holding the project kickoff meeting for each project, agenda to follow SOP guidelines.
Manage the art proofing process, obtain stakeholder approval on all art prior to production, notify internal and external teams of any art changes throughout the process.
Process change-orders per SOP, assess the scope, pricing and timeline impacts, obtain written approval of changes to scope, pricing and timeline. Notify sales leads of any proposed changes to scope, pricing or timeline before communicating with customer.
Periodically monitor both manufacturing and fulfillment quality and progress while the project is actively being worked.
Monitor fulfillment activities to ensure product is assembled, packaged and delivered to client’s locations free of damage.
Prepare various labels required for each project.
Organizing shipping lists to format according to the shipping method and tracking shipping for each project. Provide shipping/freight details to Shipping and Receiving, verify the shipment was executed as required.
At the end of each project, update file with any modifications or changes implemented during the project to ensure an accurate record exists of what was produced.
Prepare a postmortem of projects within 10 days of project end highlighting results and lessons learned.