Procurement Manager

• Jul 2021 - Present

Category Merchandising Manager

• Oct 2018 - Jul 2021

Partner with the Director of Merchandising to develop and communicate the category strategy by vendor and program funding, sales and margin goals for areas of responsibility.Oversee bringing products to life, from vendor relationships through product sourcing, pricing and on-time launch.Develop and communicate strategic visions and goals, from a customer and marketplace perspective, to respective cross-functional partners.Provide guidance to team to ensure merchandise strategies and assortments plans meet divisional objectives and align with customer needsPartner in negotiations or marketing program, rebates, pricing and terms with new, existing and prospective vendors. Build strong relationships with the vendor community and exercise flexibility in approach to negotiations.Attend trade shows and prepare trip recaps highlighting product development priorities and opportunities.Collaborate with Category Marketing Manager to build a marketing plan that will enhance the overall brand, drive customer traffic and deliver a return on investment.Facilitate team environment between Vendor Relations and Purchasing organization.Responsible for understanding customer base and drive new customer growth

Senior Manager Business and Sales Administration

• Nov 2017 - Oct 2018

Responsible for the company’s #1 brand for all major big box location domestic and international.Responsible for maintaining the high volume of orders for assigned customer accounts. This includes order entry for new orders, pick-ups and moves. Coordinates the audits of customer accounts with each Branch Manager.Resolve customer complaints regarding products, service quality, etc. and escalate issues to the Regional Sales Manager as required.Keep the Regional Sales Manager well informed of activities, results of efforts and potential problems and recommends corrective actions.Work with the Director of DC Operations & Regional Sales Manager to coordinate logistical activities between sales and operations.Checking prices and contracts are up to date.Reporting monthly sales results to the sales team.Supporting the sales force with general operations to help reach the team’s objectives.Communicating internally important feedback from customers.Assist in updating price lists or other administrative tasks as requested.Assist in executing sales strategies and objectives.Attend customer webinars and assist in new account set up.Provide outstanding customer service and support sales activities including data input, typing correspondence, etc.Receive, screen and route incoming telephone calls from customers. Provide product pricing information to customers.Carry out special projects and assignments as requested or assigned by manager including participating in special events, sales, etc.

Senior Manager Production & Product Planning

• Feb 2016 - Jun 2017

Manage the production of product by utilizing the supply channel through the strategic and effective release of production orders.Manage vendor throughput and prioritization utilizing current capacity models.Drive the supplier management program. Collect and report supplier management metrics on a monthly basis driving incremental improvement for quality, on-time and service.Manage Backlog including overall production schedules for all vendor in line with monthly sales goals, retailer deadlines and new product launches.Report Backlog data on a daily basis - communicating both invoicing potential for the month as well as cause and effect scenarios to maximize efforts seeking greatest sales potential.Develop and deploy a level loaded stock class release to Manufacturing.Facilitate production order creation to support backlog, made to order, stock builds, and forecast maximizing the internal and external resources to allocate components to production orders, and then manufacture product to the requested need date(s). This included identifying all internal bottlenecks in pursuit of a demonstrated level loaded production schedule.Partner with Materials Management to monitor, track and report material shortages for both metal and diamond shortages.Provide information to Finance to resolve invoice issues.Manage coordination between Manufacturing, Sales, Design/Development and Fulfillment for all custom design orders.Initiate resolution of SKU/BOM errors that result in production delays.Spearhead action plans to resolve potential deliver and/or quality issues.Oversee inquiries regarding product availability, productions schedules, manufacturing questions and general inventory.

Inventory Operations & Fulfillment Manager

• Jul 2007 - Feb 2016

Effectively managed a staff of five while directing an additional fifteen throughout Operations. Responsible for managing the integrity of all inventory, shipping and logistics and receiving functions for two brands. Developed and deployed an inventory cycle counts program, resulting in the elimination of inventory discrepancies consisting of over 45,000 SKUs Responsible for stock metal production planning that ensures material availability at all times for production requirements while managing the inventory investment dollars. Effectively collaborated cross functionally with the Sales, Merchandising, Product Development and Production to achieve all monthly goals. Managed the development of all product event lines, and wholesale account visits.Engaged contributor for all onsite trade shows and events ensuring the successful execution of event goals while managing the necessary inventory controls and integrity. Manage the career development of direct and non-direct reports as well as mentor to ensure job satisfaction, continued skill set growth and job function advancement.

Production Planner

• Aug 2006 - Jul 2007

Responsible for planning inventory based on sales and projections that ensured the highest sales fulfillment possible.Managed the min/max levels to keep consistent inventory while maximizing sales objectives.Provided VP of Manufacturing detailed reporting on diamond and metal purchasing to ensure best decision making. Created purchase orders/productions for all out-of-stock items to fulfill existing orders.Worked daily with outside vendors and our account managers to guarantee on time delivers.

Inventory Control Manager & Analyst of Boston Region

• Jun 2004 - Mar 2006

·Responsible for Inventory Control of two Massachusetts locations consisting of a $30,000,000 inventory.·Managed staff of four people in all aspects of inventory control. Responsible for training, development of a cross-functional team and new procedure implementation. Conducted annual reviews, work performance evaluations and scheduling.·Acted as a consultant for four Virginia locations by monitoring and analyzing stock levels, executing vendor and buyer price changes and implementing new vendor lines.·Created and distributed analytical reports for consignment inventories to accurately track sales and allocation.·Produced royalty reports for CFO to measure sales variances for market segments, such as Major League Baseball.·Managed Physical Inventory and reconciliation process

Merchandise Manager

• Jan 2001 - Jun 2004

·Directly responsible for achieving 100% Inventory Accuracy resulting in exemption of Physical Inventory ·Analyzed sales trends to determine the store’s physical assortment prior and post store renovation. ·Successfully managed current store merchandise through cycle counting and product auditing, resulting in favorable annual financial audits.

Customer Service Coordinator

• Jun 2000 - Jan 2001

·Provided effective and efficient resolution to all customer services inquiries both in person and by telephone.·Managed high volume of customer repairs, engravings, polishing and supply orders.·Facilitated training for new prospective customer service representatives.