Company Overview
The Gerson Companies is a fourth-generation family-owned seasonal, gift and home decor importer that has been in business for over 80 years. Our corporate office and 500,000 sq. ft. distribution center / warehouse is located in Olathe, KS with offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and sales personnel across the United States. We showcase our product lines in over 10 markets across the country including permanent showrooms in Atlanta and Las Vegas.
Role Overview
Provides support to direct import and key customer accounts. Works with the Sales and Purchasing team to provide customer price quotes as well as placing and tracking all shipments being directly imported to the customer. Direct communication and coordination with international manufactures regarding product pricing, all aspects of the Purchase Orders (PO) and shipment confirmations
The ideal candidate must possess a strong attention to detail, good mathematical ability, and a high level of functionality regarding spreadsheets. Experience with purchasing and organization of information is required.
Responsibilities and Duties
- Work extensively in Excel.
- Request, review, negotiate and organize product quotations from overseas vendors and calculate customer price quotes upon request for large national retailer chains.
- Communicate with internal departments and external manufactures in the development of production time and estimated arrival.
- Organization of time sensitive documents, confirmations of orders.
- Work with import logistics to communicate clear PO arrival expectations.
- Communicate the status of your PO’s to both internal and external sources.
- Review, follow up and sign off on purchase order confirmations from vendors.
- Enter Sales Orders (SO) and generate Purchase Orders to place with factories on all direct import shipments.
- Set-up all customer specific product in the system that will be shipped via direct import.
- Organize quote sheets.
- Track all purchase orders from factory through logistics and to destinations while keeping reports and changes current.
- Throughout the year you must re-evaluate and communicate any changes regarding production deadlines, materials substitution and delays of any kind.
- Assist and participate in cross-functional teams to execute purchase orders for new and existing product lines.
- Communicates directly with manufactures on orders, deadlines, quality control issues and/or any other issues arising on the orders that you oversee.
- Responsible for both internal and external communication to proactively solve issues before they become problems.
- Manage vendor chargebacks and documentation as they pertain to direct import shipments.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications and Skills
- Minimum Associate degree, Bachelor’s degree preferred
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Excellent organization skills and attention to detail.
- Intermediate experience with Microsoft products including, but not limited to Excel, Word & Outlook
- Ability to work in fast paced and collaborative environment.
- Ability to gain the trust and confidence of those supported. Acts with integrity and keeps deadlines and commitments.
- Experience in Purchasing, Logistics, Import business a plus