Merchandising & Gifting Manager - Swansea
Full-time
Key Responsibilities
Role Purpose – The Merchandise & Gifting Manager is responsible for the end-to-end ownership of all branded merchandise and gifting, from concept and creative ideation through to sourcing, production, co-packing, delivery, and post-project review. This role ensures all merchandise and gifting is on-brand, commercially viable, delivered on time and within budget, and supports wider objectives across marketing, sales, activations, customers, partners, and internal teams.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategy, Ideation & Planning
- Own the merchandise and gifting roadmap, aligned to brand, marketing, sales and activation plans
- Proactively generate creative merchandise and gifting concepts (e.g. retail promotions, corporate gifting)
- Translate briefs into clear, costed options with recommendations ( MOQs, lead times, COGS)
- Maintain awareness of market trends, materials, finishes, and innovative formats
2. Sourcing, Supplier Management & Negotiation
- Source, onboard and manage global merchandise and packaging suppliers
- Obtain and compare quotes, ensuring best value, quality, lead time and reliability
- Lead commercial negotiations on unit costs, MOQs, tooling, freight and payment terms
- Build long-term supplier relationships while maintaining competitive tension
- Ensure all suppliers meet brand, ethical, quality and compliance standards
3. Sampling, Product Development & Approval
- Manage the sampling and prototyping process end-to-end
- Review samples against brand standards, functionality and quality
- Coordinate internal approvals with Marketing, Founders, Commercial and Ops
- Track and sign-off points to avoid delays or scope creep
4. Production, Ordering & Logistics
- Place and manage purchase orders for merchandise and gifting items
- Track production timelines and proactively manage risks to delivery
- Support with inbound logistics, freight, customs (where required) and warehousing
- Maintain clear visibility of stock levels, lead times and future demand
5. Co-Packing & Project Delivery
- Plan and manage co-packing activities, including kitting, assembly and presentation
- Brief and coordinate with 3PLs, co-packers and internal operations teams
- Oversee full project delivery from concept to final dispatch
- Ensure gifting arrives on time, complete and presentation-ready
6. Stakeholder & Relationship Management
- Act as the central point of contact for merchandise and gifting across the business
- Work closely with Marketing, Sales, Ops and Finance
- Manage external relationships with suppliers, co-packers, logistics partners
- Communicate progress clearly, flag risks early, and provide regular updates
7. Budget, Reporting & Continuous Improvement
- Own the merchandise and gifting budget, tracking spend vs forecast
- Report on costs, savings, timelines and performance by project
- Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve lead times or simplify processes
- Build and maintain standardised SOPs, suppliers lists and templates
Key Deliverables
- Merchandise & gifting concepts and options decks
- Costed proposals with recommendations
- Approved samples and production specs
- Purchase orders and delivery schedules
- Co-packing plans and execution
- Budget tracking and post-project reviews
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
Essential
- Proven experience in merchandise, promotional products, gifting or brand activations
- Strong supplier sourcing and negotiation capability
- Experience managing multiple projects end-to-end
- Commercially minded with strong attention to detail
- Excellent organisational and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to work at pace in a fast-growing, entrepreneurial environment
Desirable
- Experience working with FMCG, spirits, lifestyle or premium brands
- Knowledge of co-packing, logistics and 3PL operations
- International sourcing experience
- Strong brand and aesthetic judgement
Personal Attributes
- Creative but commercially grounded
- Highly organised and delivery-focused
- Confident communicator
- Proactive problem-solver
- Comfortable owning projects independently
Success Measures (KPIs)
- On-time, in-full delivery of merchandise and gifting projects
- Budget adherence and cost savings achieved
- Quality and brand consistency
- Internal stakeholder satisfaction
- Supplier performance and reliability