Company Overview
Epoca designs, develops, and distributes quality consumer products for the home from factory floor to retail shelf, serving the world's major retailers. We bring brands to life through innovative product, driving both e-commerce and traditional in-store retail to deliver a seamless omnichannel experience for customers everywhere.
Our portfolio includes some of the most recognized names in home and lifestyle: Ecolution, Primula, Paris Hilton, Tasty, Goodful, Pioneer Woman, Country Living, and Cooking Light. Our retail partners span the globe, and in the USA include Walmart, Amazon, Target, QVC, Ross Stores, TJ Maxx, Publix, Wegmans, and many others.
We move quickly, and we genuinely enjoy a fun, family-business culture where ideas are welcome and decision-making is encouraged at every level. We would love to hear from you.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a talented, driven Merchandise Manager to build and grow our Fashion Hair Accessories category. This is a product category on the rise: hairbrushes, hair ties, hair bands, scrunchies, hair clips, hair pins, hair bows, heatless hair curlers, and the fast-moving, trend-driven items that follow. It is a business that lives at the intersection of fashion, beauty, and social media, and it rewards someone who watches trends closely and can move on them fast.
This person will own the category from idea to shelf: spotting trends, developing product with our overseas team, shaping assortments and packaging, and partnering with Sales to win at retail. We want someone who does not just manage this category but is genuinely excited by it, follows it in their own life, and has a point of view on where it is headed.
This position is based in our Boca Raton office. Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Category & Trend Leadership
- Own the Fashion Hair Accessories category and act as its internal champion, from trend identification through product launch and lifecycle management.
- Live and breathe the category: track fashion, beauty, and hair-accessory trends across retail, social media, influencers, and emerging brands, and translate what you see into a forward-looking product pipeline.
- Conduct market research and competitive shops to drive new product development and optimize customer assortments.
- Identify assortment gaps, shelf opportunities, and white space, and deliver insight-driven recommendations that keep our offering fresh, relevant, and ahead of the curve.
Product Development & Sourcing
- Understand and manage timelines for new product development from concept through production, ensuring deadlines are met and finalized products meet design specifications.
- Maintain clear, concise, and direct communication with overseas factories in Asia to streamline development timelines and prevent execution errors.
- Partner directly with factories to actively influence, shape, and direct product designs based on manufacturing capabilities and market demand.
- Collaborate with the Product Design team to identify relevant trends and concepts and to develop new products and updates to existing ones that align with performance, trends, and brand direction.
- Evaluate new products presented by the overseas team, and manage the sampling process by reviewing, documenting, and routing samples for development and customer reviews.
- Provide clear, accurate sample revision comments to the sourcing team throughout the development process.
- Liaise with the China team during evening hours as needed to accommodate the time-zone difference, keeping sourcing, sampling, and development moving without delay.
Costing, Margin & Analytics
- Partner with Sales on product cost analysis of benchmark items to align on target costs and margin requirements.
- Build and maintain category math in Excel: costing, margin, pricing scenarios, and assortment planning.
- Analyze POS and sell-through data to monitor category performance and inform future product and assortment strategy.
- Maintain organized, detailed records of product specifications, costs, and vendor agreements.
Cross-Functional Execution & Retail Support
- Provide the Sales team with support on all product information, strategy, and marketing plans for the category.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design, proof, and finalize packaging and creative assets, ensuring alignment with branding requirements and retailer standards.
- Partner closely with the graphics team on packaging: shaping creative direction, writing and creating on-pack copy, and reviewing, proofing, and approving artwork through final production.
- Build and facilitate PowerPoint presentations for customer and line reviews.
- Work closely with packaging, compliance, sourcing, and logistics to manage production timelines, costs, and quality control, and to support compliance across national brand and private label programs.
- Prepare presentations and reports on category performance for senior management.
Experience & Qualifications
- Direct, hands-on experience in the Fashion Hair Accessories category (hairbrushes, hair ties, scrunchies, clips, bows, heatless curlers, and related items) is required, along with genuine, demonstrated enthusiasm for this category specifically. This is not a category we will train from scratch: we want someone who already knows it, follows the trends, has opinions on the products, and is excited to build this business.
- Adaptable, proactive professional with a true "can-do" attitude—eager and willing to take on new tasks, projects, and responsibilities as business needs evolve.
- Comfortable and highly familiar with using AI tools and platforms in day-to-day work (for research, trend analysis, content, and productivity), and eager to put them to work in the role.
- Bachelor's degree in Merchandising, Business, Design, Fashion, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 3+ years of product management, merchandising, or product development experience, preferably in fashion accessories, beauty, or housewares.
- Strong Microsoft Office skills, with real strength in Excel-based math and confident use of PowerPoint.
- Strong analytical, mathematical, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication skills and a proven ability to work in a cross-functional, collaborative, team-oriented environment.
- Self-motivated, organized, and process-oriented, with strong attention to detail and the ability to multitask and thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven setting.
- Retail or wholesale background; e-commerce experience a plus.
- Basic understanding of manufacturing processes and costs; familiarity with supply chain and inventory planning a plus.
- Able to work on-site in our Boca Raton office on a hybrid schedule (M-TH in office; Fri WFH).
Schedule & Location
- Job Type: Full-time
- Schedule: 8-hour shift, Monday to Friday
- Work Location: In person, Boca Raton, FL (hybrid, with 4 regular in-office days)
- Relocation: Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate
Benefits
- 401(k) with matching
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Flexible, collaborative, family-business culture
Epoca International, LLC provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Epoca International, LLC is a drug-free workplace, and we use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.
Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
