Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Jewelry Operations Associate

🎯 Role Definition

The Jewelry Operations Associate is the backbone of the entire product journey, a critical role that connects our creative vision to the tangible, beautiful pieces our customers cherish. This individual is not just managing inventory; they are the guardian of our quality, the orchestrator of our supply chain, and the operational expert ensuring every piece moves seamlessly from our artisans to its new home. This position requires a proactive, detail-obsessed individual who thrives in a dynamic environment and understands that operational excellence is fundamental to building a beloved luxury brand. You are the vital link that ensures our promises of quality, craftsmanship, and timely delivery are kept every single day.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Jewelry Retail Associate or Specialist
Production Assistant
Inventory Coordinator or Clerk

Advancement To:

Operations Manager
Production & Sourcing Manager
Supply Chain & Logistics Manager

Lateral Moves:

Wholesale Account Coordinator
E-commerce Operations Specialist
Merchandising Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

End-to-End Inventory Management: Meticulously oversee the entire lifecycle of our jewelry inventory, including raw materials, components, and finished goods, ensuring 100% accuracy within our ERP system from receipt to final sale.
Order Fulfillment Excellence: Orchestrate the complete fulfillment process for both direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce and wholesale channels, ensuring every order is picked, impeccably packaged, and shipped accurately and on schedule.
Unyielding Quality Control: Serve as the primary guardian of brand quality by conducting rigorous, multi-point inspections on all incoming finished jewelry from vendors and outgoing orders, ensuring each piece meets our exacting standards for craftsmanship, stone setting, and finish.
Vendor & Artisan Partnership: Cultivate and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with our network of designers, casters, stone setters, and other suppliers, acting as the main operational point of contact for production timelines, purchase orders, and issue resolution.
Production Workflow Coordination: Manage the flow of products through the production cycle, tracking the status of pieces from casting to finishing and ensuring deadlines are met to support new collection launches and restocks.
Logistics and Shipping Mastery: Handle all domestic and international shipping logistics, preparing documentation, managing customs requirements, and negotiating with carriers to ensure safe, cost-effective, and timely delivery of high-value goods.
ERP & Systems Integrity: Maintain the operational heart of the company by ensuring all product, vendor, and customer data is accurately entered and consistently updated in our inventory management/ERP system (e.g., NetSuite, Cin7, Shopify).
Management of Repairs & Returns: Process customer returns, exchanges, and repair requests with empathy and efficiency, coordinating with jewelers for necessary work and communicating status updates to the customer service team.
Special & Custom Order Oversight: Project manage all special and bespoke custom orders, liaising between the sales team, the client, and the production workshops to ensure specifications, timelines, and budgets are precisely met.
Physical Inventory & Cycle Counts: Lead and execute regular physical inventory counts and cycle counts, investigating and resolving any discrepancies to maintain a perpetual state of inventory accuracy.
Supply & Packaging Management: Proactively monitor and manage inventory levels for all shipping and packaging materials, reordering as necessary to prevent any disruption to the daily fulfillment workflow.
Data-Driven Reporting: Generate and analyze regular operational reports on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as inventory turnover, order accuracy, shipping costs, and production lead times to identify trends and areas for improvement.
Process Improvement Initiatives: Actively identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the operational workflow and propose practical, well-researched solutions to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve quality.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Serve as the key operational liaison to the Merchandising, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service teams, ensuring a smooth flow of information regarding inventory availability, production timelines, and launch readiness.
Sample & Showroom Management: Meticulously track and manage the inventory of jewelry samples used for photoshoots, press loans, and trunk shows, ensuring all pieces are accounted for and in pristine condition.
Cost & Invoice Reconciliation: Assist in tracking production costs and reconciling invoices from vendors and suppliers against purchase orders, ensuring accuracy for the finance department.
Product Information Management: Support the e-commerce team by providing accurate product details, including weights, dimensions, and material specifications, for new product uploads.
Troubleshooting Operational Issues: Act as the first line of defense for resolving day-to-day operational challenges, from shipping errors and customs delays to unexpected production issues, with a calm and solution-oriented approach.
Photography & Asset Coordination: Manage the logistical flow of new products to and from the photography studio, ensuring all new styles are shot and digital assets are received in a timely manner for launches.
Safety and Security Protocols: Uphold and enforce all security protocols for the handling and storage of high-value inventory, ensuring a safe and secure working environment.
Documentation and SOPs: Assist in creating and maintaining Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents for all key operational functions to ensure consistency and facilitate training.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to inform strategic business decisions.
Contribute to the organization's broader data strategy and roadmap by providing insights from an operational perspective.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements, particularly for operational dashboards and reporting.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering or technology team as the operational subject matter expert.
Assist in the physical setup, logistics, and inventory management for industry trade shows, pop-up shops, and trunk shows.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Inventory Management Systems: Deep proficiency with at least one major ERP or inventory management software (e.g., NetSuite, Cin7, DEAR, Fishbowl) is essential.
Advanced Spreadsheet Skills: Mastery of Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/INDEX(MATCH), and complex formula creation for reporting and analysis.
Shipping Platform Proficiency: Hands-on experience with shipping software and platforms like ShipStation, Shippo, FedEx Ship Manager, or UPS WorldShip.
E-commerce Platform Knowledge: Familiarity with the back-end of e-commerce platforms, particularly Shopify, as it relates to order management and inventory.
Jewelry & Gemstone Knowledge: A foundational understanding of precious metals, common gemstones, jewelry construction techniques, and quality benchmarks.
Data Entry & Accuracy: High degree of accuracy and speed in data entry and information management.
Project Management Tools: Experience using tools like Asana, Monday.com, or Trello to track tasks and manage production timelines.

Soft Skills

Meticulous Attention to Detail: An exceptional eye for detail, capable of catching the smallest imperfection in a piece of jewelry or a discrepancy in a spreadsheet.
Proactive Problem-Solving: The ability to anticipate potential issues, critically assess problems as they arise, and independently develop effective solutions.
Superior Organizational & Multitasking Skills: A natural talent for juggling multiple, competing priorities in a fast-paced environment without sacrificing quality.
Clear & Professional Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills for liaising effectively with internal teams, external vendors, and partners.
Strong Sense of Ownership: A dedicated and accountable mindset, taking personal responsibility for the quality and success of the operational function.
Collaborative Spirit: A genuine team player who thrives on working with others and understands that success is a collective effort.
Adaptability & Composure: The ability to remain calm, flexible, and positive when faced with the unexpected challenges inherent in a dynamic business.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent, supplemented with relevant professional experience in an operational capacity.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Supply Chain Management & Logistics
Fashion Merchandising
GIA certification is a significant plus.

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-4 years of experience in an operations, logistics, production, or inventory-focused role.

Preferred: Direct experience within the fine jewelry, luxury goods, fashion, or a high-growth, direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand is highly desirable and will be given strong preference.