Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter's Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter's, OshKosh B'gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.
How you'll make an impact :
The Retail Creative Operations Manager drives operational excellence and brand consistency across our store fleet and in partner retail locations. This role oversees the planning, execution, and delivery of marketing campaigns, promotions, and special projects, ensuring thebrandisrepresented consistently and effectively across all retail environments.The manager leads day-to-day retail production operations, manages procurement of POS/POP materials, and serves as the key liaison between internal teams and external vendors. By fostering collaboration, streamlining workflows, andanticipatingchallenges, this role ensures a seamless, best-in-class in-store experience that elevates brand presentation and engages the consumer everywhere the brand is represented.
This role reports into the Director of Production, has 2 direct reports and is based in our Buckhead office, and is on-site 4 days a week.
65 %: Operations Planning/Management
Manage daily operations and project schedules for retail creative production across all Carter's, Inc. brands,includingcorporateandwholesale accounts
Lead and mentor the retail production team, supporting their growth and development, helping set priorities, and troubleshooting challenges to ensure success
Collaborate with creative, visual merchandisingand cross-functional partners to set deliverables, release artwork, and ensure final delivery on time and on brand
Drive quality control for all internal and external deliverables, ensuring brand consistency and excellence
Conductstoresvisits toevaluate execution, gather feedback, andidentifyopportunities for improvement
Partner with finance on project forecasting,budgettrackingand reporting
Monitorproject spend to budgetsand proactively manage resource allocation
Streamline workflows, implementprocess improvements, and develop exception processes whereneeded
Identifyand elevatebest-in-class vendors, technology, materials, and trends to improve quality, efficiency, and cost savings
Stay current on retail trends and customer behaviors to create innovative, scalable, and future-proof store environments
Prepare and present quarterly reports to Creative Ops team and leadership on marketing inventory and signage production, tracking usage, availability, and project status to inform planning and decision-making
45 %: Task Management
Provide unified leadership across the production and creative operations teams, setting checkpoints and ensuring reviews, approvals, and deliverables arecompleted on time
Managestore openings, closings, and conversion kits, including warehousing, fulfillment, inventory management, and ship notifications
Lead the sourcing, quotes, and negotiationswith vendors for print,signageand other in-store marketingseasonalmaterials
Oversee procurement of all POS/POP materials,negotiating contracts, and ensuring vendor accountability foron-timedelivery and cost-effective solutions
Coordinate status meetings with cross-functional teams and external partners, providing guidance to the team on priorities and workflow
Manage the "Retail Only" inbox,prioritizing and resolving requests and issues promptly
Support new store rolloutsand retail initiatives through detailed project and production planning
We'd Love to hear from you if:
Must have:
5+ years of production budget management experience, including metrics,utilizationreporting, and delivering cost-effective results
Experience leading creativeretailoperations or production teams in high-volume, fast-paced environments
5+ years of experience with print and substrate materials
Proven ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and distribution lists simultaneously (familiarity with tools like Smartsheetis a plus)
Strong problem-solvingskills with the ability to adapt and propose alternatives under changing circumstances
Experience managing projects within budget and schedule constraints
Vendor managementexpertise, including RFQs andcontract negotiation
Highly organized, detail-oriented, and accountable with exceptional follow-through
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, confident in cross-functional and vendor-facing interactions
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, witha track recordof driving efficient solutions
Proactive leader who fosters communication flow, aligns cross-functional teams, and drives accountability for successful outcomes
Strong time-management skills; adaptable, flexible, and positive under pressure
Demonstrated leadership, mentorship, or team coordination experience, including guiding, supporting, and developing team members
Proven ability to build andmaintainstrong relationships with internal teams and external vendors
Preferred skills and experience:
3 years of direct supervision experience
Strong working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign
Experience managing retail in-store operations, POS/POP production, and rollout projects
Advancedproficiencyin Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
Bachelor's degree preferred
Make a career at Carter's:
Career Development: Success starts from within, and we have several paths from which you can choose to enhance yourcareerevolution. From Carter's University to Toastmasters to mentorship programs and more, we encourage you toutilizethese tools to elevate your professional prowess.
NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.
Carters is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.
