Sample Operations Coordinator

Business Impact The Product Development team drives the execution of the product development process, ensuring West Elm products are delivered on time and meet our standards for design, quality, value, and customer relevance. The Sample Operations Coordinator plays a critical role in that process by creating visibility, accuracy, and accountability across the sample lifecycle. This role ensures design and product development teams have the right samples, in the right place, at the right time to support key milestones, reviews, photography, and decision-making.

Position Summary The Sample Operations Coordinator owns the daily execution of sample receiving, tracking, organization, and reporting across product categories. This role manages the flow of design samples from shipment through receipt, staging, workroom organization, milestone support, and archive rooms. This is a highly cross-functional role that partners closely with Product Development, Design, Merchandising and Facilities teams to maintain accurate sample data, improve sample visibility, and support an organized, efficient product development process.

  Candidate Description  The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, detail-oriented, and energized by making complex workflows run smoothly. They take pride in creating order, building reliable processes, and helping cross-functional teams work more efficiently. This person brings a service mindset, strong follow-through, and a sense of ownership to every task. They are comfortable working independently, shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment, and using data to track progress, identify issues, and communicate status clearly.

A successful Sample Operations Coordinator is not only accurate and dependable, but also curious about how the process can improve. They are confident working across teams, asking the right questions, and helping create a sample management function that is scalable, visible, and trusted. Essential Functions   Sample Process Ownership   Own and maintain the sample tracking process across assigned categories, ensuring accurate visibility to sample status from shipment through receipt, staging, and final placement.

Partner with Product Development, Design, Facilities, and category teams to align on ship-to codes, sample shipping details, labeling, receiving expectations, and milestone needs.  Sample Receiving & Data Accuracy   Manage the timely receipt, unboxing, identification, and logging of sample shipments. Maintain accurate sample records in tracking systems, including PLM and Airtable.

Reporting & Communication   Create and maintain sample reporting standards to provide visibility to shipment status, outstanding issues, and priority needs. Sample Room & Workroom Organization   Partner with Design and Product Development teams to maintain organized and functional sample workrooms. Support process improvements that make samples easier to locate, review, and manage.

Milestone, Mock Store & Photoshoot Support   Coordinate sample set-up for product reviews and photoshoots. Partner with teams to ensure priority samples are available, staged, and ready for review.  Shipment Issue Resolution   Monitor third-party shipping issues, lost shipments, delayed deliveries, and sample discrepancies.  Process Improvement & Ownership   Identify opportunities to improve sample flow, organization, reporting, and communication.

Bring forward ideas that increase efficiency, reduce sample loss, improve visibility, and strengthen Sample Operations as a reliable operational function.     Qualifications 2-4 years of experience in Product Development, Operations, Merchandising, Production, Sample Management, or a related field; home goods or retail experience preferred. Strong organizational skills and exceptional attention to detail.  Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook and Office, especially Excel.  Experien