Product Sourcing Specialist
Start Date: September 14, 2026
Job Summary
A Wonderful Time is a new retail concept opening October 2026 in Montclair, NJ, selling first-to-market proprietary products designed by the founder — stationery, scarves, puzzles, prints, frames, cards, and more over time. We’re hiring a remote Product Sourcing Specialist to own the full sourcing loop for these products: finding manufacturers who can produce small quantities, getting quotes and samples, checking artwork against print specs, placing and paying for orders, and tracking everything in on time.
As the store proves out demand, you’ll help scale winning products from small-batch manufacturers to larger ones. The founder owns art direction and creative decisions; you own the operational and quality decisions that get her designs made, delivered, and on the shelf. Your job, every time: highest quality at the lowest reliable price, on deadline, without getting scammed.
This role directly creates design bandwidth for the founder. This is the founder’s second venture; the first was a DTC-native brand that bootstrapped profitability to over $300 million in sales over the course of 11 years. The stronger you are, the more original products A Wonderful Time can test in the store, validate and improve, then put into the world.
We’re looking for talent with these skills -
- Vendor judgment & trustworthiness — You can assess whether a manufacturer or payment link is legitimate before money moves. This role holds a company credit card; good judgment matters as much as sourcing skill.
- Resourceful & relentless — You research deeply, compare total unit cost (unit + setup + shipping) rather than headline price, and chase silent vendors until deadlines are safe. Follow-up is half this job.
- AI fluency — You use AI tools daily and instinctively — for vendor research, drafting outreach, comparing quotes, and logging orders. This is not optional; it’s how you’ll take projects to completion without hand-holding.
- Print-production literacy — You can check a file against a vendor spec: bleed, die lines, CMYK vs. RGB, resolution/DPI, and outlined fonts. You know when to fix a file, when to brief a freelance designer, and when to ask for the working file.
- Organized record-keeper — You track many vendor conversations, samples, and orders at once without losing information, and you log receipts, invoices, and order details so the paper trail is always clean.
- Clear communicator — You write clear vendor emails, package options and price analyses so decisions can be made in minutes, and act the moment approval lands.
What the job will consist of -
- Picking up items the moment they’re cleared for sourcing on our project board, and reading specs and design files carefully.
- Researching real vendors who can produce each item at our spec and quantity, and verifying on their actual sites that they can.
- Requesting samples, pricing, minimum order quantities, and lead times — and presenting shortlists with the numbers that matter so the founder can decide quickly.
- Running the daily vendor communications loop: replies, quote comparisons, artwork approvals, and follow-ups with anyone who goes quiet.
- Preflighting artwork against vendor specs, and briefing and managing freelance designers for file fixes and production adjustments (including isolating sections of existing artwork for use on new materials).
- Ordering samples for quality-critical items and coordinating hands-on testing with the founder.
- Placing and paying for approved orders on the company card at the best total cost and the shipping/production tier that hits the deadline.
- Logging every order — vendor, order number, amount, quantity, SKU, reorder link — and tracking items from production through delivery, flagging anything at risk.
- Helping scale proven products from small-batch runs to larger manufacturers as the business grows.
Scope of Work & Pay
- Remote, contract-to-start, with strong potential to grow into a permanent product-development role.
- Compensation is $22–$30/hour depending on experience.
- Daily responsiveness during US business hours is required; the vendor loop runs every day.
- Finalists will complete a short paid test assignment — a real sourcing brief — before hire.
Application Instructions
If you are interested in the role, you will be asked to complete a 15-minute prescreen questionnaire and will upload your resume as part of the prescreen process. Within 10 business days of completing the prescreen questionnaire you will be notified via email of your status.
About A Wonderful Time
Part gift shop and part art gallery, A Wonderful Time is a new retail concept opening in October 2026 in Montclair, NJ, adjacent to The Claridge Movie Theatre. The store will sell first-to-market, original products in stationery, art, homeware, and confectionery; each one designed by the founder to delight consumers and encourage new communal and familial traditions. The thesis behind the store is that retail can be an artistic medium, not just to sell but to give people in the community a space to consistently have a wonderful time together. Learn more at .
Pay: $22.00 - $30.00 per hour
Work Location: Remote
