Product Specialist

TJX Companies

At TJX Companies, every day brings new opportunities for growth, exploration, and achievement. You'll be part of our vibrant team that embraces diversity, fosters collaboration, and prioritizes your development. Whether you're working in our four global Home Offices, Distribution Centers or Retail Stores-TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Homegoods, Homesense, Sierra, Winners, and TK Maxx, you'll find abundant opportunities to learn, thrive, and make an impact. Come join our TJX family-a Fortune 100 company and the world's leading off-price retailer.

Job Description:

We have an opening for a Product Specialist supporting apparel categories in our Los Angeles buying office. The Product Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring our merchandise buys meet the highest standards of quality, safety, and design. This a hybrid position requiring 2-3 days a week in our downtown Los Angeles office.

What You Will Do:

• Collaborates and partners with Buyers to develop a full implementation of product quality and quality control improvement.
• Identifies product quality issues and expectations, communicates, and resolves issues to the vendor through PP/TOP approval process. Approvals include fit / spec, packaging, legal/safety regulations, colors, prints, strike offs, and fabric quality against established standards in a timely manner.
• Builds product knowledge and identifies quality issues through market travel, mix assessment of our stores/ competition, and attending product training classes.
• Maintains system to manage on order for assigned areas, track samples received, approval status and resolutions.
• Establishes and fosters relationships with the vendors/buyers through market travel and consistent communication.
• Identifies and flags product not meeting expectations, negotiates with vendors on cost reductions, cancellations, or RTV's.
• Educates buyers on compliance issues, legal/safety/trademark regulations, and quality standards.
• Recommends styling and design, and packaging development/facilitation.
• Demonstrates leadership through established vendor/merchant relationships, communicating expectations and best practices.
• Facilitates educational presentations to buyers and management, leverages expertise to upskill merchants.

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• 3-5 years Merchandising experience, Product Development/Manufacturing preferred
• Highly skilled in evaluating garment fit, construction and all technical aspects of garment production, overseas production knowledge is a plus
• Color, design, and detail acumen; fabric and trim knowledge is a plus
• Strong organizational, time management, attention to detail, and follow through skills
• Great communication, relationship building, collaboration, and influencing skills
• Works well in a team environment with ability to handle multiple projects and prioritize workload in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
• Proficient with Microsoft 365, including Word, Excel, OneNote, SharePoint.
• Ability to travel 3-4 times a year to support business objectives and relationships