Jessica Donohue Email & Phone Number

Framingham, Ma

Amsterdam Area, Netherlands

-Drive execution of key private label objectives in both product quality and brand guidelines for Europe. Focused on key growth categories that include chairs, facilities, technology, business machines and cut sheet paper -Influence purchasing decisions of multiple merchants across 13 countries and 3 business channels and persuade them to choose Staples Brand over alternative choices in the market through thorough product and market knowledge-Balance communicating corporate strategies with listening to and understanding local needs in order to make sound and sustainable product assortment decisions-Facilitate and guide European packaging launches within the Facilities and Chairs categories to ensure customer needs are met and global consistencies are maintained-Manage training and day-to-day product development responsibilities of a junior associate

-Supported development of new packaging systems for innovative paper products. Created packaging briefs and proof online packaging drafts. Provided direction for physical package structure, focusing on quality and innovation-Partnered with team members to create rolling 3-year product roadmaps for paper products including cut sheet copy paper, notebooks and pads, adhesive notes and filing products-Determined the product and quality positioning of private label paper products through competitive and national brand equivalent benchmarking. Partnered with internal and external research resources to incorporate customer insights into strategy and product development-Participated in major innovation programs, working closely with Product Design team and external resources such as development and design firms and co-branding or licensing partners-Examined industry best practices, including competitive programs, through research and exposition or trade show attendance

-Managed product development projects for notebook and notepad categories, ensuring project requirements were met through actions, including third party product testing, cost negotiations, and timeline management-Produced significant cost savings over several projects, resourcing existing Staples Brands products, developing new items and significantly reducing expenses through supplier negotiations-Led development and execution of Back to School 2009 Bid, involving a broad and complex array of SKUs, sourced from multiple suppliers, and distributed among key Staples affiliates-Served as primary contact for paper product suppliers in Egypt, Mexico, Singapore, United States and other countries; collecting and organizing all project materials for presentation to Staples business teams-Visited multiple manufacturing locations, including factories in Asia, North America, and the Mideast, overseeing execution of required product specifications. Coordinated adherence to production plans at supplier locations during launch of new products

-Managed private label design programs for top retailers such as Red Envelope, Eddie Bauer, BMW and Papyrus. Ensured customers' specifications translated to satisfactory production programs-Participated in Swing Ltd. product exhibitions at industry trade shows. Was responsible for writing more than $80,000 at a single show and routinely delivered significant sales revenues at all shows-Examined samples from international production partners, identifying quality lapses and assuring the integrity of the company's design intent at trade-Developed pricing proposals that enabled the customer to realized desired margins while maximizing contributions to Swing Ltd. profit targets-Coordinated and executed marketing correspondence, facilitating inclusion of Swing products in Real Simple, "Oprah's Favorite Things" section of O Magazine, as well as on NBC's Today Show

-Developed and executed annual business plans for national sales, margin dollars and percentages in specific categories of merchandising among 800+ PETCO stores-Functioned as the company's nationwide buyer of Cat Wellness products, ensuring that all stores maintained a wide assortment of merchandise, priced and marketed competitively and profitably-Created merchandising programs, including advertising plans and store execution guidelines to promote consumer excitement and maximize sales-Identified and developed new products in product categories representing $140M in annual retail sales, negotiating supplier cost and contract terms that helped achieve company margin goals-Successfully managed the responsibilities of two Merchandise Managers during a massive company restructuring

B.A., Political Science/French

Education record