Promotional Products Sourcing & Project Coordinator (Promo, Swag, Branded Merch)

Promotional Products Sourcing & Project Coordinator
Remote, Full-Time Contractor

South Sun Solutions is a branded merchandise company. We work with agencies, mission-driven brands, and corporate clients, and our positioning is simple: we translate moments, ideas, and initiatives into gifts that last. Most of our industry is catalog-and-logo. Our value is in creative origination, product judgment, and anticipating the details before they become problems so people receive items they keep. Sometimes that means designing something from scratch. Sometimes it means finding the right elevated object. And sometimes a client simply needs hats — done right, on time.

Sustainability, for us, means product longevity and material intentionality, not greenwashing. With that in mind, we’re also offering tech-enabled products that connect keepsake physical pieces with lasting digital experiences.

We’re a small team: two co-founders, plus a Strategic Account Manager (SAM) based in the Philippines. This role works directly with the SAM. It’s a full-time, long-term contractor role for someone who already knows the promotional products industry from the distributor side and wants to grow within a company that takes the work seriously and believes in consistency over intensity: some weeks have a heavier workload, some weeks are lighter; the goal is steady, high-quality execution over time, not constant urgency.


*What you’ll do*

In your first three months, your work centers on research, sourcing, and keeping our systems accurate and up to date.

~ Product research and sourcing support
・Research and recommend products against project requirements, with a focus on proactive projects and longer lead times
・Communicate with vendors on availability, pricing, and specs to prepare preliminary quotes
・Verify vendor payment details by phone before new or changed banking information is used — a standard fraud-prevention step we take whenever the timeline allows
・Keep ClickUp current so we have a truly robust project management system. This includes, but isn’t limited to: uploading all mockups to each project, linking email threads to their corresponding projects, updating all quick-look fields, and maintaining the AR tracker. We plan to dedicate a knowledge transfer day to ClickUp during the onboarding phase.
・Set up the sync agenda doc for each call from our template — new doc, correct dates, labeled with the two-week span — at least a week ahead so everyone can add items as they come up
・Final product selection and project direction stay with the SAM. Rush projects stay with the SAM during this period.
・Other miscellaneous (but work-related) research and projects as they come up. For example: looking into freight forwarders, comparing options, and making recommendations; on an as-needed basis, following up with FedEx for international shipments that are held by customs

~ Client research
・Research clients and prospects from lists we provide, using LinkedIn, Google, our database, and whatever else works: upcoming events, programs, past purchases, and where a merch opportunity could exist (get creative!)
・Add to the prospect list when you spot a good opportunity
・Gather and organize what you find early enough for us to act on it — ideally, the team knows about upcoming events three or more months out, when possible

~ Product library and trend research
・Review vendor product suggestions (these typically arrive by email) and organize the products that look like a good fit for our clients into product libraries by category (apparel, hard goods, etc.)
・Separately, maintain running lists of new and trending products. These can come from supplier sites, trade show recaps, industry news, or anything else that catches your eye

~ Content and creative support
・Build and maintain a bank of ready-to-post LinkedIn assets showcasing completed projects, so there’s always something to pull from. This is an ongoing responsibility, not something you wait to be assigned. The SAM directs this work and is the first point of contact for any questions; if you need further context on a project or the client, the Executive Creative Director is your resource
・Create visual templates and simple social graphics in Canva
・Contribute content ideas and support initiatives that help people see our work


*What you won’t own*

We value transparency, so clear role definitions matter to us. The SAM owns final client communication, product selection, pricing and margin decisions, quote approval, project prioritization, major vendor decisions, and anything that requires judgment about the overall client relationship.

As Sourcing & Project Coordinator, you work alongside the SAM. When the SAM requests support with live client work, that comes first; the rest of your time goes to ongoing, mostly self-directed work like building product libraries and researching prospects. Your research, sourcing, and organization make the team’s work stronger and directly support the growth of the business.


*Where we see this role going*

After three months, if we both want to move forward together, the role expands to include the following, along with all previously listed work:

・Supporting all project types, including rush and time-sensitive work
・Responding to new inquiries and gathering initial project details (quantity, budget, timeline, product direction) before handing off to the SAM
・Flagging missing information, deadline risks, and opportunities, and more before they become problems or we’re too close to an event to pitch a client or proposal
・Building client-ready decks once product selection and direction are finalized
・Supporting concept-first outreach to target agencies and past clients (this will be explained!)
・Keeping our living documents current, especially upcoming client projects and events

Compensation grows with the role. The path we’re building toward is Coordinator → Senior Coordinator → Strategic Account Manager: growing into a second SAM role as the business grows.


*Who you’ll work with*

You’ll take day-to-day direction from our SAM. He sets your priorities, reviews your work, and is your first stop for questions about projects.

Our Executive Creative Director handles the personnel side: your onboarding, compensation, regular check-ins, and your 90-day evaluation. If something isn’t working — with your workload, how you’re being supported, or the working relationship itself — you can go to her directly.

You’ll join the company sync call every other week, and during your first 90 days you’ll have 1:1 check-ins with the Executive Creative Director on the weeks when there isn’t a sync call.


*What we’re looking for*

~ Required
・At least one year of experience at a promotional products distributor
・Working familiarity with Sage or ESP/ASI
・Experience with supplier portals (SanMar, alphabroder, or similar)
・Experience with a project management tool, and willingness to learn ClickUp
・Clear, professional English, spoken and written
・Comfortable working with direction, and comfortable working without it when the task calls for it — prospect research and product libraries are largely self-directed
・Available full-time during US Eastern business hours (roughly 9pm–6am Philippine time)

~ A plus
・Canva, Adobe, or other graphic design experience
・LinkedIn research experience
・University degree

~ And the things that matter more than any tool
Our clients expect higher-end pieces, and the question we start from isn’t “what do we put a logo on?” but “what object makes sense for this moment?”
・You’re curious about who’s receiving the item and why. You’ll research the brand and the event before suggesting what the object should be.
・You have an eye for quality. You can tell a basic item from an elevated one, and a “good-enough” item from the right one — and you’ll keep looking/reaching out until you find the vendor(s) who can make the right version.
・You notice what others miss — a material that’s off, a lead time that doesn’t actually work, a detail the client would catch (and you catch it before the client does!)
・You’re reliable. When you take on a responsibility, no matter how small the task, it gets done.
・You make educated guesses where possible (we love creative, independent thinking), and you ask when you’re unsure and/or when things are moving quickly. There are no stupid questions.
・You’re looking for a long-term role with growth, not a gig.


*Working structure and compensation*

・Full-time contractor role, 40 hours per week, fully remote
・US Eastern business hours
・$1,000 USD per month after the 90-day trial period, with a ramp over the first 90 days: $800 for Month 1, $850 for Month 2, $900 for Month 3, and $1,000 per month after the trial period ends
・A formal evaluation at 90 days, where we both d ---------- whether to move forward together
・Compensation grows from $1,000 per month with expanded responsibility and performance as the business grows. A more formal compensation document detailing compensation tied to growth milestones will be shared after the 90-day trial period if we move forward together


*How we work*

Five principles shape everything we do, including how we treat the people we work with:

・People over profit, while staying profitable
・Structure that serves everyone, not just the business
・Consistency over intensity
・Accountability as normal, not as punishment
・People as partners, not resources

If this sounds like how you want to work, please follow the directions below to apply.


*How to apply*

Please start your application with the word LONGEVITY so we know you’ve read the full posting.

Then include:
・A short introduction (3–5 sentences)
・Why this role interests you
・One sourcing request you handled: what the client asked for, what you recommended, and what you’d do differently now, if anything
・Two suppliers you’ve worked with regularly, and one thing you learned about each (lead times, quality, service — whatever stood out)
・One process, system, or responsibility you fully owned, not assisted with
・Confirmation that you can work US Eastern business hours full-time


*What happens next*

We’ll review applications through September 25 and schedule first interviews the following week. Depending on how those go, we may invite a small number of candidates to a second conversation and/or a short paid sourcing exercise. Target start date is mid-October, though there is flexibility knowing we may need to work around a notice period.

We look forward to hearing from you!