Import Merchandise Coordinator at OneDayOnly.co.za

About you

• You’re a jack-of-all-trades with an entrepreneurial mindset, looking for a new challenge in an eCommerce environment. You’ll be charged with helping to lead the creation of an in-house label, securing reliable sources of quality goods from foreign suppliers, negotiating pricing, payment terms, product quality, packaging and delivery cycles to meet the needs of OneDayOnly.

What you'll love

• Apart from the opportunity to source new and exciting products and to travel for work, you’ll also love the people who work here - Seriously, they’re cool - and the thrill of finding the next big deal for OneDayOnly.

Responsibilities include:

Overall you’ll be responsible for every aspect of the import business including:

• Full responsibility for a specific logistics process.
• Acting as the first point of contact and problem resolution for supplier issues and concerns regarding service level agreements.
• Recommending potential new, foreign suppliers/manufacturers to the Head of Sales.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with prospective suppliers by discussing prices, product quality, and delivery cycles.
• Verifying business and financial references of prospective suppliers.
• Coordination of trial orders with new suppliers.
• Coordination and expediting of the import process as required.
• Overseeing delivery dates, quality of production and sufficiency of products.
• Negotiating terms of payments with suppliers.
• Identification and implementation of preferred payment methods.
• Maintaining knowledge of current affairs and external factors that could affect the availability of goods and pricing; examples include applicable import regulations, taxes, tariffs, and political and economic situations in the countries of origin.
• Assessing foreign suppliers of goods, analysing performance and satisfaction in terms of pricing, supply, delivery, and quality.
• Delivering the product on time in full (OTIF) and in sequence to the business’ requirements.
• Sales analytics and reporting.
• Collaborating with the sales team to identify new, and sometimes non-traditional opportunities to source.
• Serving as the main product sourcing coordinator between OneDayOnly and suppliers to identify and review new, beneficial opportunities.
• Researching commodities markets and sources/cultivating a list of suppliers - Then, negotiating and executing Supply Agreements, and maintaining effective business relationships with key suppliers.
• Quality assurance on packaging and products.
• Sample management.

Requirements, skills, and qualifications

• A Logistics qualification.
• Experience dealing with China.
• At least three years of purchasing experience, which includes trading and purchasing in foreign countries required.
• Prior experience in traveling to China, and meeting with factories and agents is advantageous.
• Good negotiating and technical skills.
• Highly organised and administratively strong.
• Prior experience at the top import international fairs/trade shows to cultivate new business opportunities and find new manufacturers (eg Canton Fair, Ambiente etc).
• Microsoft Office skills and advanced Excel & PowerPoint skills are required.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal).
• Excellent project management skills.
• Good understanding of branding and packaging.
• Strong analytical, organisational, interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.
• Good understanding of the planning and the logistics process relating to products.
• Great at multitasking.
• Strong time management & prioritisation skills.
• Self-starter/Driven/Highly motivated/Entrepreneurial.
• High energy levels and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.