Merchandise Manager (Consumer Products)

Catface•Austin, TX

1d•$90,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

At CatFace, we don’t only make merchandise, we are committed to creating consumer products of all categories including toys/collectibles, plush, fashion/apparel, and lifestyle products that engage and support our fanbase of all ages. Under the leadership of the Director of Merchandise, this position will support the creative vision, execution, and delivery of all merchandise products for DTC, E-commerce, conventions/seasonals, and licenses.The manager should be highly creative, organized, strategic, and forward-thinking while leading by example and mentoring a team of designers and artists including packaging designers. Applications without resumes and work examples will not be considered. Portfolios are recommended but not required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Toy Design, Industrial Design, or similar industry-related discipline.
6-8 years of experience and at least 2-3 years management experience.
Strong proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop)
Exceptional art direction and design management skills, with a focus on high quality consumer products.
Experience with various form factors, consumer products (hardgoods and softgoods).
Proven ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely follow-ups and clear communication across all stakeholders.
Comfortable navigating evolving workflows, adapting quickly to feedback, and working in a highly collaborative creative environment.
Proactive, dependable, and committed to quality and follow-through.

Nice To Haves

Experience in both art production and consumer products design is a plus.
Experience in packaging design is a plus.
Familiarity with product lifecycle management (PLM) tools or project tracking software (e.g., Monday.com, Asana, Airtable) is a plus.

Responsibilities

Practice a high level of creativity and organizational skills through leading and executing concepts to final product through strategic delegation of projects to meet crucial deadlines and delivery dates.
Monitor projects and manage merchandise designers, artists, and packaging designers to ensure deadlines are met while ensuring design and brand integrity.
Proactively communicate and ensure projects are aligned with the Director of Merchandise, internal merch team, and cross-functional teams.
Lead the development and maintenance of VLLs and other design-related documents for internal and external use in collaboration with the Director of Merchandise.
Practice and encourage design thinking to bridge the gap between our digital content, storytelling, and global fanbase across all ages.
Champion great design in products, ensuring they meet target costs, QA/QC requirements with minimal supervision.
Immerse and learn about Catface and its content to ensure all products are authentic and relevant to our stories and Aphmauverse.
Ensure that all products meet established quality standards per our branding and content throughout the conceptual, design, and execution stages.
Actively participate in all stages of design and development milestones with the reporting team to ensure consistency in brand and content identities.
Ensure design turnarounds, CMFs, and artfiles are created with a high level of detail and integrity to ensure successful execution of product development.
Act as the main point of contact between internal teams and external teams throughout the product design cycle.
Coordinate and communicate effectively with direct reports, external artists, and leadership to ensure successful management of priorities and schedules.
Work closely with PD, E-commerce, and cross functional teams to ensure deadlines for deliverables are met accordingly.
Track progress across product lines and provide timely updates to the Director of Merchandise and cross-functional teams.
Ensure all necessary changes to concepts and designs are communicated to the responsible parties and executed accordingly. Elevate concerns or roadblocks to the Director of Merchandise to ensure timely resolution.