Kristie Metcalf

• Directing vendor portfolio focused on maternity apparel with consistent growth year over year.
• Supervision, coaching and career development of assistant buyers.
• Planning sale event calendar in collaboration with other category buyers.
• Driving sales though thoughtful product assortment, negotiated costs and inventory.
• Build strong relationships with vendors, forming and implementing sales strategies, and give direction on product development.

• Participant in Merchant Development Program. Gaining experience and analyzing the business though coursework and work rotations in Vendor Operations, Merch Strategy/Planning and Sourcing.
• Main point of contact for over vendors in the maternity and juniors apparel categories; Analyzing sales reporting, working with key brands to grow their business, improve product demand on site, and reduce ship time and order cancellations.
• Monthly calendar planning and management for 6-10 flash sale events per week requiring effective time management in fast paced environment and quick adaptation to changing business needs.
• Collaborating with Vendor Ops team on vendor’s transition to zulily 3PL program, acting as a liaison between the merchandising team, the vendor, and operations team to address new system challenges and improve order fulfillment.
• Skillful use of complex Excel buy doc tracking previous sales data, margin, competitors pricing, and expected sales numbers to effectively negotiate best cost to competitively price hundreds of products weekly.

• Design and creation of independent women’s apparel line focused on modern separates and dresses in luxurious natural fabrics recently awarded placement in the Bellevue Collection Independent Designer Runway Show.
• Achieved growth from student collection to start up business; sourcing and research for raw materials and apparel production, creating logo, marketing collateral and website using Adobe Creative Suite.
• Creatively coordinated multiple fashion show presentations and photo shoots, developing concept, styling, and managing talent.

• Jill of all trades working within a small team to skillfully fulfill divergent business needs, accomplish numerous daily tasks, and grow successful wholesale apparel business.
• Collaborates with designer on samples for special accounts such as Anthropologie and Nordstrom, and beneficially contributes to rebranding strategy and implementation.
• Deftly manage day-to-day operations of wholesale women’s apparel business including invoicing and reporting via QuickBooks, generating sales leads while managing current accounts, tracking and handling accounts receivables.
• Maximizes ecommerce business on multiple channels and ensure accuracy and efficiency in ecommerce fulfillment.

• Quickly met sales goals and learned established fit standards as part of the Nordstrom Flagship lingerie department.
• Recognized for steadily building client relationships, meeting Nordstrom high standards consistently providing excellent customer service.

• Consistent oversight of 7 employees and store operations, motivating employees to surpass sales goals, and improvement of weekly reporting and payroll systems.
• Provided excellent customer service by being approachable and highly knowledgeable about products and sexuality issues.
• Accomplished public speaker selected for distinctive educational workshops in the University outreach program.
• Utilized artistic experience to create clever, eye-catching product and window displays, implemented and and trained employees on new merchandising standards.
• Stepped in as Marketing and Education Coordinator during a colleague’s three-month maternity leave, taking on all local social media and monthly program reports, and scheduling and overseeing the workshop program. Demonstrated the ability to meet all new job requirements and increase efficiency of many tasks.

• Collaborated with the owner to expand the stock lists of her handmade lingerie line. Provided graphic design and patterning expertise.
• Grew business from one boutique and an Etsy shop to three boutiques and an independent online store, as much as possible with limited resources, then decided to dissolve the partnership in order to pursue more education and experience.

• Started as an assistant to the Events Manager responsible for scheduling events and shipping supplies to traveling employees but quickly proved able to take on greater responsibilities.
• Created new organizational systems and Excel data tracking to streamline program management and reporting.
• Promoted within 10 months to manager of North American promotional tour, scheduling events across the United States and Canada, while continually providing exceptional to support two other programs.
• Designed marketing collateral for use by travel agents hosting events.

• Managed one to two dressers and four to 20 actors, depending on the show; and maintained order in dressing rooms, ensuring that all actor’s changes and cues were met.
• Reliably served as liaison between costume shop and hair and make up people, and the dressers and actors and maintained all costume pieces, repairing and laundering as needed.