Associate Merchandiser

Company Description

Unity. Loyalty. Advancement. Charity. It’s what drives United Legwear & Apparel Co. to be the best global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of legwear, bodywear, apparel, and accessories. Founded in 1998 by Isaac E. Ash to make the very best legwear on the market, ULAC is an industry leader offering a full range of products for babies, kids, teens, and adults. We strive to sell our products at affordable prices for families. Hard work and exponential growth year on year has transformed ULAC into a global apparel and accessories company.

Our goal to deliver superior products that ensure superior customer satisfaction is made possible by our team of dedicated professionals who work together to make the company the best in business. Our manufacturing, distribution, and logistics division produces the highest quality products at the best possible prices without cutting corners. Integrity of goods is key, so compliance and quality assurance are top priorities, along with meeting every delivery date—whether shipping across the state or around the world. 

We strive to foster an inclusive company culture that stands united to accomplish our mission. We are loyal to our people, supporting their development and ability to achieve excellence. We believe that when people bring their personal best to work each day, it leads to success, advancement, and upward mobility for all. We believe every individual has two hands: one to help themself, and one to help others. We pride ourselves in our value of charity and the commitments we make to help people in need. ULAC supports organizations that help those compromised by sickness, poverty, natural disasters, socioeconomic inequality, and other dire circumstances. 

If you share our vision of delivering superior products in a culture of growth, excellence, and caring, then we want to hear from you!

For more information about United Legwear & Apparel Co., please visit: https://ulac.com/

Leadership Responsibilities

At ULAC, we are looking for people who share our vision of fostering a collaborative culture of continuous improvement. All team members at ULAC are responsible for contributing to a safe and positive work culture so everyone can deliver their best. Leadership behaviors that model ULAC’s mission and values of Unity, Loyalty, Achievement, and Charity include:

• Lead Proactively: Anticipate and solve problems with foresight, reflection, and curiosity. Inspire, reinforce, and motivate team members to be solution-oriented and strive for performance excellence. Identify and drive creative solutions. 
• Provide Positive & Frequent Performance Feedback: Maximize performance and motivation by acknowledging and reinforcing good performance, identifying opportunities for growth, and supporting continuous development.
• Initiate Structure: Establish, communicate, and achieve ambitious and specific team goals. Consistently plan and build structured processes that reinforce company objectives. 
• Achieve Objectives: Develop, initiate, and enhance plans that enable the execution of work. Provide consistent guidance, follow-up, feedback, support, and encouragement to team members to overcome barriers to success. Understand, use, and monitor all relevant reporting system metrics to make informed decisions that impact our people, processes, and systems. 
• Foster Positive Culture: Perpetuate positive change and continuous improvement in processes and culture by fostering an optimistic, trusting, innovative, and open work environment.
• Communicate Effectively: Encourage effective dialogue, problem-solving, and conflict resolution by actively listening to, seeking to understand, and fostering collaboration with peers, leadership, and direct reports.
• Motivate and Inspire: Cultivate and empower high-performing teams by modeling company values, demonstrating respect, and providing constructive feedback. Serve as a visionary to encourage individuals and teams to reach their greatest potential.
• Train and Develop Others: Fulfill employee training and development needs by serving as a coach, mentor, and facilitator of their knowledge transfer, skill development, and ability to achieve high performance.

Job Summary
The Merchandising Associate will be responsible for assisting in the coordination of tech packs and SMS requests, managing the sample check-in process, showroom preparation and organization, and providing support for strike-offs and product approvals. This position will work under the direction of the Merchandising Manager and in conjunction with the Merchandising team.

Essential Functions (Including but not limited to):

• Assist in Tech Pack / SMS request process:
  • Set up salesman sample trackers from design hand-off
  • Send out trackers and tech packs to factories and consistently follow up for updates
  • Troubleshoot any tech pack questions from factories by working with designers and development
  • Communicate and troubleshoot any SMS sample date issues to management
  • Log in all samples, swatches, and strike off requests into PLM
• Manage sample check-in process:
  • Unpack and hang all samples as they arrive from overseas factories
  • Log in samples to SMS, swatch, and strike off excel trackers and PLM
  • Leave samples in back closet for designers to comment on
• Showroom Prep, organization, and back stock upkeep:
  • Print and tag samples with design comments
  • Prepare all showroom samples on nice hangers, steam samples, and review with the showroom manager
  • Perform weekly check-ins and walk-throughs of the showrooms
  • Keep back stock organized by delivery/collections
  • Send out samples to Canada/sales accounts
• Strike off and sample support:
  • Assist with strike off and sample preparation for meetings
  • Prepare and take photos of club samples, swatches, and strike offs for sales pass offs
• Merch board save downs:
  • Save down merch boards as needed to the sales drive
  • Update design cork board wall with merch boards and replace as updates are made
• Initial set up of style approvals for Bluestar
• Perform any other duties as assigned in support of the company needs and operations.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Associate degree in Fashion Merch or related field and 0-1 years’ experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proficiency in PLM system, Excel and Monday.com for calendar management
• Strong verbal and written communication skills as required for effective interpersonal communication.
• Excellent organizational skills that reflect ability to perform and prioritize multiple tasks/projects and workload seamlessly with keen attention to detail and follow-up.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and within a collaborative team environment under critical time frames.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment and ability to apply good work habits to effectively complete assigned tasks and contribute to the smooth operation of the company/department.

What We Offer

At ULAC, we are committed to supporting the well-being and professional growth of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package for all New York & New Jersey-based employees includes:

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
 Access to quality health care coverage with a variety of plan options to fit your needs.

Fitness Reimbursement
 Reimbursement is for eligible health and wellness programs to encourage a healthy lifestyle through our medical benefits plan. 

Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance (100% Employer Paid)
 Income protection to support you during unexpected health challenges, 100% company-paid.

Group-Term Life Insurance (100% Employer Paid)

Accidents can happen in an instant, affecting you and a loved one. Our Group-term Life Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance is designed to help families by providing financial protection in case of death or severe injury resulting from an accident.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
 Confidential support services for mental health, work-life balance, and other personal matters.

401(k) Retirement Plan
 Plan for your future with our competitive retirement savings plan, including employer matching of up to 4.5%

Pet Insurance
 Coverage options to help care for your furry family members.

Paid Time Off (PTO) and Sick Leave
 Competitive paid vacation and sick leave to support your work-life balance.

Bereavement Leave
 Paid time off to grieve and attend to personal matters following the loss of a loved one.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
 Pre-tax savings accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses.

Commuter Benefits
 Tax-advantaged options to help cover public transit and commuting costs.

Tuition Reimbursement
 Support for continued learning and development through approved educational programs.

Voluntary Life Insurance

Option to voluntarily add additional financial protection in the event of an unfortunate loss.

**ULAC will not sponsor applicants to this position for work visas or any other work permits**

Physical Demands and Working Conditions:

The physical demands and working conditions of this position are representative of what must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The functions of this position are typically performed in an office setting and the noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk. The employee may be occasionally required to stand and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must be able to lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision and distance vision.

General Acknowledgement & Employment At-Will:

Employment in this position requires adherence to all policies and procedures set forth by United Legwear & Apparel Company. This position description is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities of the position, is not a contract and is subject to change at any time, with or without notice, by the employer. Furthermore, all employees are employed at-will with United Legwear & Apparel Company and are employed for no definite period of time and employment may be terminated without cause or notice.