MANAGER, BRAND PARTNERSHIPS & MERCHANDISING
Role Summary
📍 Location: Seolleung, Seoul, South Korea
💼Employment Type: Full-time
📈 Level: Manager (4–7 years' experience preferred)
🧭 Department: Business Development
👤 Reports to: Senior Manager, Key Accounts
🗣️ Languages: Korean & English (Business)
We're adding a Manager, Brand Partnerships & Merchandising in Korea to strengthen our brand partner relationships and merchandising execution. This role is the on-the-ground bridge to Korean brand partners—supporting joint business planning, onboarding, and growth across B2B (wholesale/retail) and B2C (DTC) channels. You will work closely with our Senior Manager of Key Accounts (Helen Wang) and cross-functional teams in both Korea and the US to deliver revenue, build brand equity, and provide a best-in-class partner experience.
About Soko Glam
Soko Glam is a leading curator and distributor of Korean beauty products with a mission to help all people believe there are only good (skin) days ahead. Since 2012, we've brought K-beauty to the global stage through thoughtful curation, education, and authentic storytelling. Our global footprint spans e-commerce, wholesale, and international retail partnerships.
What You'll Do
Brand Partnerships & Vendor Management
- Source, vet, and onboard Korean brand partners aligned to Soko Glam strategy.
- Maintain day-to-day communications in Korean with brand HQs (pricing, MOQs, lead times, terms, assets, regulatory docs).
- Support negotiations (assortment, cost/terms, exclusives, launch calendars) in partnership with the Senior Manager of Key Accounts.
Merchandising & Assortment
- Build and maintain curated assortments; prepare line sheets and sell-in materials.
- Track SKU performance and recommend expansion, rationalization, or exclusives.
- Coordinate samples, product information, and localization/translation for US retail and DTC.
Commercial Planning & Analytics
- Contribute inputs to forecasts; track sell-in/sell-through, margin, in-stock, and launch KPIs.
- Prepare weekly/monthly/quarterly reports and business review materials for internal and partner meetings.
Cross-Functional & Operational Execution
- Partner with Marketing to secure assets and support campaigns/retailer activations.
- Coordinate with Supply Chain/Operations on POs, shipping timelines, inbound shipments, and issue resolution.
- Track vendor invoices against POs; confirm accuracy, ensure timely submission to Finance, and liaise on payment status/documentation.
- Support troubleshooting for Korea-originated operational gaps (eg, invoices, tax docs, customs/COOs) and escalate issues proactively.
- Maintain partner CRM/trackers; support retailers submissions, partner portals, market weeks, trade shows, and partner visits in Korea (occasional domestic travel).
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required.
- 4–7 years relevant experience in beauty/CPG merchandising, buying, or brand/partner management (K-beauty experience strongly preferred).
- Bilingual fluency in Korean and English (written and verbal); able to translate/localize assets and facilitate meetings.
- Solid commercial acumen: retail math, margin analysis, and KPI tracking.
- Strong negotiation, relationship management, and project management skills.
- Advanced Excel/Google Sheets (pivot tables, lookups); proficiency in Slides/PowerPoint.
- Organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable operating across time zones at a fast pace.
Plus (Preferred)
- Experience supporting US/Global retailers or marketplaces.
- Familiarity with basic regulatory/compliance documentation for beauty (INCI, labeling).
- Experience with ERP/PO or partner portal tools.
Brand Partnership & Merchandising Manager
Role Overview
📍 Work location: Seolleung, Seoul, South Korea
💼 Employment type: Full-time
📈 Position: Manager (4–7 years of experience preferred)
🧭 Affiliation: Business Development
👤 Reporting to: Key Account Senior Manager (Helen Wang)
🗣️Language: Korean & English (Business communication possible)
We are hiring a Brand Partnership & Merchandising Manager in Korea. This position will serve as a liaison with domestic brands, supporting joint business planning, onboarding, and growth across B2B (wholesale/retail) and B2C (DTC) channels. The role will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams in Korea and the US, as well as with our Key Account Senior Manager (Helen Wang), to drive sales performance, strengthen brand equity, and deliver an optimal partner experience.
About the company
Soko Glam is a leading K-beauty curation and distribution company with a mission to "help everyone believe that good (skin) days are the only things that matter." Since its founding in 2012, Soko Glam has been introducing K-beauty to the global stage through meticulous curation, education, and authentic storytelling. Its business expands through e-commerce, wholesale, and international retail partnerships.
Duties
Brand Partnerships & Vendor Management
- Discovering, verifying, and onboarding domestic brand partners that align with the company's strategy.
- Leading daily communication primarily in Korean, including pricing, MOQ, lead times, terms and conditions, assets, and regulatory documents.
- Collaborate with key account senior managers to negotiate configurations, terms, exclusives, launch calendars, etc.
Merchandising & Assortment
- Maintain and improve curated product composition, create line sheets and sell-in materials
- Expansion, reorganization (rationalization), and exclusive proposals through SKU performance analysis
- Coordination of samples, product information, and localization/translation for operating retail and DTC channels in the Americas.
Commercial Planning & Analysis
- Provides demand forecast input data, sell-in/sell-through, margin, inventory, and launch KPI monitoring
- Preparation of weekly/monthly/quarterly reports and business review materials for internal and partner use.
Cross-functional & operational execution
- Collaborate with the marketing team to secure and execute campaign and retailer activation assets.
- Collaborate with supply chain/operations teams to monitor PO orders, shipping schedules, inbound shipments, and resolve issues.
- Compare and verify vendor invoices with POs, and link timely submission and payment progress/documents with the finance team.
- Pre-screening and prompt resolution/escalation of issues related to operational gaps originating in Korea (invoices, tax documents, customs clearance/COO, etc.)
Partner CRM/tracker management, retailer submission and portal support, and domestic market week/exhibition/partner meeting support (domestic business trips available)
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or higher
- 4–7 years of experience in merchandising, buying, and brand/partnership management in the beauty/CPG industry
- Business-level document/meeting communication skills in Korean and English (including translation and localization)
- Possess commercial judgment, including retail mathematics, margin analysis, and KPI tracking.
- Negotiation, relationship management, and project management skills
- Advanced Excel/Google Sheets (pivot tables, lookups), Slides/PowerPoint skills
- Someone who is systematic, detail-oriented, and can work quickly in a time-varying environment
Preferential treatment
- Experience supporting US/global retailers or marketplaces
- Understanding of beauty regulations/compliance basic documents (INCI, labeling, etc.)
- Experience using ERP/PO or partner portal tools
How to apply
Please submit your resume (and a brief self-introduction, if applicable) in Korean and English to the People Operations team. Only those who pass the document screening will be contacted individually.