Merchandise Assistant

Rowan•New York, NY

6d•Remote

About The Position

The Merchandise Assistant supports the execution of Rowan’s jewelry and ear piercing assortment strategy through strong organization, reporting, sample management, and cross-functional coordination. This role reports directly to the CSCO and plays a critical role in supporting product launches, assortment updates, inventory tracking, vendor communication, and merchandising operations. The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, organized, analytical, and passionate about fashion, jewelry, and customer experience. This individual will help ensure smooth execution across vendor product development, merchandising, studio communication, and assortment management while gaining exposure to buying and product strategy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising, Business, Marketing, or related field preferred.
1–2 years of experience in merchandising, buying, retail operations, or fashion/accessories.
Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
Analytical mindset with comfort working in spreadsheets and retail reporting.
Proficiency in Google Suite (Sheets, Docs, Gmail, Calendar) and Excel.
Strong communication and cross-functional coordination skills.
Passion for jewelry, fashion, and customer experience.
Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Shopify, NetSuite, DOMO, or other retail systems is a plus.
Interest in jewelry materials, piercing trends, and merchandising strategy preferred.

Responsibilities

Responsible for new item and SKU creation and setup, ongoing item maintenance and updates, ensuring data accuracy across systems, seasonal PO creation and management, PO revisions and vendor coordination, cross-functional communication with merchandising, planning, sourcing, and operations teams, and supporting launch readiness and inventory accuracy.
Support execution of seasonal assortment launches and product rollouts across studios and ecommerce.
Assist in coordinating with vendors on product development timelines, deliveries, costing updates, and sample tracking.
Maintain accurate product information, assortment trackers, launch calendars, and merchandising documents.
Review studio ramp photos to ensure assortment and merchandising compliance for new launches.
Support weekly communication updates to studio operations, marketing, and creative teams regarding deliveries, replenishment timing, and assortment changes.
Assist with inventory monitoring and replenishment tracking to help maintain in-stock levels.
Track and organize product samples, ensuring the sample closet remains organized, accurate, and accessible at all times.
Support vendor outreach and sourcing initiatives for new suppliers and product opportunities.
Assist with managing sample budgets and tracking development expenses.
Pull and maintain weekly and monthly sales reporting through DOMO and other internal systems.
Support analysis of selling trends, customer purchasing behavior, and assortment performance.
Assist in preparing monthly reporting on product performance, sell-through, and key merchandising KPIs.
Help maintain reporting related to margin, inventory levels, stock turnover, and assortment productivity.
Compile competitive research and trend analysis to support future product assortments and launches.
Partner closely with marketing and creative teams to coordinate product selection for campaigns, launches, and promotional assets.
Prepare product knowledge decks, launch materials, and studio communications for new collections.
Support preparation of executive presentations and assortment recaps for leadership meetings.
Coordinate with studio teams to gather customer feedback and assortment insights from the field.
Participate in studio visits and competitive shopping to better understand customer preferences and market trends.
Stay informed on jewelry, piercing, and fashion accessory trends.
Monitor competitors, emerging brands, and customer preferences to support merchandising recommendations.
Research materials, metals, and jewelry trends to support future assortment opportunities.