Associate Merchandising Coordinator

Associate Merchandising Coordinator

Department:
Product and Brand Services (PBS)

FLSA Status:
Non-Exempt

Employment:
Full-Time

Wage Range: $29 - $32 an hour

Reports to:

Product Merchandising Manager

Location:

Zumiez Home Office - Lynnwood, WA (In-Office)

Effective Date: 06/30/2026

Zumiez and Product and Brand Services (PBS)

Zumiez is a leading specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories, skateboards, and snowboards for young men and women who want to express their individuality through the fashion, music, art, and culture of action sports, streetwear, and other unique lifestyles. Headquartered in Lynnwood, Washington, Zumiez operates over 700 stores in North America, Europe, and Australia. We operate under Zumiez in North America, Blue Tomato in Europe, and Fast Times in Australia.

The Zumiez Product and Brand Services (PBS) team is responsible for over 30 unique brands spanning various categories, including men's and women's apparel, accessories, and snow/skate hardgoods. These brands are comprised of owned and licensed brands.

Position Purpose

The Merchandising Coordinator is responsible for improving speed to market by centralizing intake, coordinating cross-functional teams, and enabling clear prioritization for both fast-turn and new product opportunities.

This role focuses on removing friction in how work enters and moves through the teams, ensuring requests are fully defined, aligned, prioritized, and actionable so teams can execute quickly and efficiently. The coordinator does not own creative or product decisions but enables teams to deliver by providing clarity, structure, and urgency.

Success in this role is measured by faster project flow, reduced complexity, and improved alignment across Buying, Design, Merchandising, Graphics, and Production.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

* Support intake of product requests, ensuring required information is captured upfront; follow up with requestors to quickly resolve gaps before broader outreach occurs

* Identify and categorize incoming requests (e.g., reactive trend-driven, fast-turn opportunities, new product concepts) to improve clarity, alignment, and prioritization across teams

* Partner with stakeholders to develop and maintain a decision framework for routing different request types, providing a consistent process and reducing ambiguity in how requests are handled

* Build and maintain intake tools and trackers to keep requests organized, up-to-date, and visible; help teams stay aligned on status, next steps, and needs

* Support the rollout and consistent use of intake tools and workflows; identify gaps and recommend refinements

* Coordinate communication across Buying, Merchandising, Design, Graphics, Production, and external partners to ensure alignment and keep projects moving

* Proactively identify and resolve questions, gaps, or blockers through direct communication

* Partner with team managers to understand workload and priorities; track timelines and key milestones, flagging potential conflicts or delays to stakeholders

* Provide regular status updates to key partners, ensuring visibility into project progress, risks, and next steps

* Maintain accurate documentation across intake tools and workflows, ensuring project details remain current and aligned across teams

* Support the rollout and consistent use of intake tools and workflows; identify gaps and escalate opportunities for improvement

* Ensure teams have the necessary information to begin work and support smooth handoffs throughout the process

* Provide sales performance insights by pulling data and building recaps to inform decisions across Design, Buying, Graphics, Merchandising, and Production

* Identify recurring challenges or patterns in fast-lane requests and share insights to support process improvement

* Perform special projects and additional duties as assigned to support evolving business priorities

Requirements:

* 1-3 years of experience in retail merchandising, buying, or line planning

* Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

* High attention to detail when tracking information, timelines, and project status

* Clear and proactive communicator, both written and verbal

* Demonstrates a strong sense of urgency and ability to adapt quickly as priorities shift

* Comfortable working in a fast-paced, quick-turn environment with shifting priorities

* Comfortable escalating risks, delays, or blockers to managers

* Ability to maintain accurate documentation and keep tools and trackers up to date

* Maintains a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach when working across teams

* Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

* Experience with tracking tools, project management tools, or intake systems (Airtable, PLM, etc. preferred)

* Ability to manage and organize information across multiple systems

* Basic understanding of the apparel product lifecycle or production process is a plus

* Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed

Physical…