Product Development Customer Service

Diana Cruz

** ******** ****** 347-***-****

West Babylon, NY **********@*****.***

Objective: To obtain a position that will further my career in Sales/Operations/Account Management Professional Experience

Steve Madden Corp – New York, NY

Greats Brand LLC

Senior Account Associate & Operations Lead November 2023-Present

● Reports sales process by providing exceptional customer service to wholesale & ECOMM accounts.

● Inventory manager and sole gatekeeper of all EDI accounts including DROPSHIP & ECOMM

● Daily interaction with multiple 3PL locations for optimal order fulfillment

● Improved efficiency of customer retention in Shopify by implementing timelines to CS team

● Works in conjunction with marketing, production, and product development on FALL & SPRING lines

● Attends shoe shows and presents the line to prospective customers.

● Works with logistics and compliance to streamline shipments coming in from overseas and shipping domestically.

● Attends top level brand meetings with CEO & President discussing new business developments and strengthening current customer base.

Rubie’s Costume Company – Westbury, NY

Princess Paradise & Charades/Children’s and Adult Quality Costumes Sourcing and Product Development Manager March 2019-February 2021

● Formulates and implements strategic sourcing initiatives with US and International offices.

● Supports various Global Sourcing activities to include supplier/commodity/category research and competitive conditions.

● Works cross functionally with internal stakeholders to identify and define their sourcing & procurement needs on each seasonal line.

● Analyzes supply chain and business needs to determine optimal sourcing and purchasing strategies.

● Manages contract timelines while executing fair negotiation of materials with overseas suppliers.

● Partners with internal Brand Management teams and works directly with licensors to keep in compliance.

● Oversees production team and all active PO’s placed by order entry associates.

● Reviews order fulfillment including Cost of Goods savings, meeting quality standards and supports delivery logistics.

● Effectively documents, communicates, and prepares supplier recommendations for decision makers

● Easily navigates and collaborates with multiple departments while building strong relationships with vendors and suppliers.

Haddad Brands – New York, NY

Children’s Branded Apparel & Accessories

Sales Operations Manager November 2018-February 2019

● Works closely with licensors to stay up to date on overall Domestic brand and Global seasonal strategies to effectively manage communication between teams.

● Analyze sales and marketing data to provide insights through detailed reporting.

● Manage, organize, and ensure the quality of EDI transmissions passing through the internal sales teams.

● Maintain order integrity through regular maintenance/reconciliations for Dillard’s Department Store and associated buying team.

● Reviews product assortment and daily WIP to ensure the timely arrival and allocation of product to end customer, across all brands : Nike, Jordan, Converse, Hurley, Levi’s & Crayola

● Troubleshoots system errors and initiates immediate resolve across 10 sales leads and 25 buyers.

● Assists in the Web Order process as well as the manual Sample and P.O. entry request while delegating workload according to the daily volume received.

● Supports chargeback resolution with finance team

● Provides product information for design and participates in validation for Fashion and Replenishment assortment strategies.

BCNY International/Synclaire Brands - Hicksville, NY Children’s Designer Footwear

Sales & Inventory Manager May 2016-September 2018

● Enables Key account product segmentation/differentiation in collaboration with Sales and Marketplace merchandisers to drive marketplace growth.

● Utilizes SMU team to help create account differentiation with exclusive products.

● Drives thorough analysis of historical customer seasonal merchandise plans and supports the merchant in placing the most optimal assortment by brand.

● Translates and prioritizes consumer insights and marketplace trends from subsidiaries and key accounts to provide critical and valuable input to product teams.

● Travels to markets and accounts to gain optimal market understanding and discover opportunities.

● Negotiates OTB opportunities with Key Account Managers and manages Available to Sell Inventory across all in house brands.

● Participates actively in Product Development, Pricing, Production, Quality Of Goods and Delivery.

● Manages seasonal/yearly forecasts for capacity planning, building inventories and achieving sales goals.

● Coordinates SMU business; creation, tracking & maintenance of sample requests through production

● Works with internal Merchandising Teams on costing of goods to finalize Customer quotations.

● Participates in weekly Development & Production meetings.

● Collaborates with Merchandisers, QA and Technical Teams to support the ongoing Quarterly Buys of 3 major discounters as well as support the building of the character shoe business.

● Runs all order entry from development to warehouse receipt and ships out customer orders.

● Maintains customer P.O.’s in collaboration with production while keeping the lines of communication open with the merchant, regarding changes, costs, shipping windows. Oscar de la Renta - New York, NY

Footwear & Handbags

Production Manager July 2014- August 2015

● Identifies and implements the production process for Oscar de la Renta footwear and handbag lines.

● Ensures the highest level of product development is achieved while managing timelines and shipping through daily communication with overseas agents and factories located in Italy and Spain.

● Places all production orders/re-orders and cut tickets after each market.

● Attends weekly meetings with design & sales and communicates all detailed changes to agents.

● Negotiates pricing and material substitutions where necessary to maintain internal margins.

● Collaborates with merchandising in seasonally creating line sheets, pricing and material descriptions for each style in GCS.

● Places all orders of raw materials with over seas factories and manages the logistics of their arrival.

● Has familiarity with Fish and Wildlife Declaration paperwork and customs requirements.

● Maintains seasonal calendar due to multiple show ordering times colliding as well as working with RTW buying team to create work orders for of any necessary fabrics/motifs for shoes/handbags.

● Conducts quality control on all materials throughout the entire production process.

● Communicates closely with our domestic and international warehouses to ensure correct products are picked and shipped according to customer cancel dates

● Updates internal WIP reports with order placements, arrival of finished goods and any cancellations to ensure our sales team has the most updated information for their clients.

● Works hand in hand with factories on receipts, delays and shortages daily. Marc Fisher Footwear - Greenwich, CT

Wholesale Women’s + Men’s Footwear

International Pricing & Production Associate January 2013- July 2014

● Manages daily production process with overseas trading office regarding all aspects of production.

● Works with domestic and international buying entities to keep in accordance with buy calendar deadlines.

● Communicates vendor capacities, order minimum requirement, and special lead times.

● Assures that the most current information is maintained on factory orders, including inquiries, commitment entry, cost updates, and x-factory dates.

● Ensures timely processing of customer ticketing and EDI management.

● Responsible for line sheet creation and daily hotline maintenance updates of material, NRF codes, adds and drops in styles for every season and market.

● Generates all billing/invoicing/debit and credit notes for all brands: Marc Fisher, Ivanka Trump, Isaac Mizrahi, GUESS Women's and Men’s, G by Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, Pink and Pepper, and Unisa.

● Coordinates with logistics and compliance to resolve any issues related to P.O. Shipments, deliveries, and receipts.

Richemont North America - New York, NY

Cartier

Associate Merchandise Planner- Jewelry November 2009- December 2012

● Monitoring of the boutiques assortment to determine optimal mix.

● Use SAP systems and allocation tools including updating model stock quantities for 29 US boutiques.

● Work with retail directors, managers, sales persons, and shipping clerks in prioritizing immediate delivery of goods.

● Maintenance of the Reserved List, special orders requests, and external demand

● Handle returns (RTV’s) and other stock reduction actions.

● Handle special projects and responsibilities that include attending sales and forecast meetings.

● Assure a collaborative environment that fosters and values partnerships, by demonstrating a passion for meeting customer needs and exceeding customer expectations while upholding the Cartier luxury brand standard.

Jones Apparel Group /Nine West Footwear Corporation - White Plains, NY Ready to Wear Retail Division

Merchandise Analyst May 2006- July 2009

● Responsible for achieving planned store inventory levels and receipt flow in order to maximize sales profit by store

● Establish store attributes such as size, volume, customer profile, etc. and make recommendations to merchants on buys

● Use MMS for allocation and planning and fulfill open to ship by store using history, sales trend, and projected sales

● Coordinate monthly transfers in order to achieve proper inventory levels and attain purge goals

● Attend weekly business meetings and report store trends while providing shipping updates and generating capacity reports.

● Go on store visits and ensure that visual merchandising plans, inventory and presentation are being upheld Education Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY

B.A., Public Relations, May 2004

Honors and Awards Who’s Who Among Students at American Colleges and Universities Lambda Pi Eta Honors Society, Order of Omega Honors Society Technical Skills Microsoft Office XP, AS-400, GXS, SAP, Microsoft Outlook, Lotus Notes, FITS, Blue Cherry, GCS, PLM, Vendor portals, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Shopify, Marketplace, Google Spreadsheets, NuOrder, Bynder Languages Fluent in Greek

Reference furnished upon request

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