Item Sourcing Coordinator – Corporate Gifts & Merchandise

Company: CHOPS

Location: Dubai, UAE

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: AED 3,500 per month

Benefits: UAE Employment Visa Provided

CHOPS is a Dubai-based corporate gifting and promotional merchandise company providing creative, customized gifting solutions to businesses, brands, and organizations across the UAE.

We are looking for a creative, resourceful, and proactive Item Sourcing Coordinator who has a passion for discovering unique products, exploring global markets, and identifying innovative gifting ideas.

This role goes beyond traditional procurement. We are looking for someone who can research products, spot trends, explore platforms such as Alibaba, communicate effectively with international suppliers, and recommend creative merchandise solutions for corporate events, exhibitions, marketing campaigns, seasonal occasions, and client requirements.

The ideal candidate should have a strong eye for products, excellent research skills, and the confidence to explain why a particular product is suitable for a specific audience, theme, industry, or event.

Key Responsibilities

Product Research & Creative Sourcing

• Research and discover unique, innovative, and trending products suitable for the corporate gifting and promotional merchandise industry.
• Actively source products through Alibaba, international supplier platforms, manufacturers, and local UAE vendors.
• Identify creative product ideas for exhibitions, conferences, employee engagement, seasonal gifting, corporate campaigns, and branded merchandise.
• Recommend products aligned with specific themes, industries, client budgets, target audiences, and occasions.
• Continuously explore new product categories, creative packaging formats, customization options, and emerging merchandise trends.

Supplier Communication & Coordination

• Identify, contact, and build relationships with potential international and local suppliers.
• Communicate promptly and professionally with manufacturers, exporters, and sourcing partners through Alibaba, email, WhatsApp, and other business channels.
• Request quotations, samples, specifications, product catalogs, customization details, and production timelines.
• Negotiate competitive supplier pricing, minimum order quantities (MOQs), and lead times.
• Maintain consistent follow-ups and ensure timely responses to sourcing requirements.
• Evaluate suppliers based on pricing, product quality, reliability, production capabilities, and delivery timelines.

Creative Product Recommendations & Presentations

• Develop creative and relevant product suggestions for different industries, events, marketing campaigns, and seasonal occasions.
• Prepare product shortlists, mood boards, sourcing comparisons, and presentation materials.
• Confidently pitch product ideas to internal teams and explain their suitability for a specific theme, occasion, or corporate audience.
• Support product recommendations with clear reasoning based on uniqueness, practicality, market appeal, customization potential, cost, and client relevance.
• Identify opportunities to introduce new products that stand out in the UAE corporate gifting market.

Market Research & Product Development

• Monitor international product trends and emerging gifting concepts.
• Research competitor offerings and identify gaps or untapped opportunities in the local market.
• Explore sustainable, technology-driven, premium, budget-friendly, and creatively designed gifting products.
• Coordinate with internal sales and design teams to develop customized product combinations and gifting concepts.
• Maintain organized supplier databases, product catalogs, pricing records, and sourcing references.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Previous experience in product sourcing, procurement, merchandising, corporate gifting, promotional merchandise, or a related field is preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of Alibaba and experience identifying and communicating with international manufacturers and exporters.
• Excellent online research skills with the ability to discover new products and reliable suppliers.
• Strong creativity and an eye for unique, practical, and marketable products.
• Ability to understand client briefs and translate themes, occasions, and event concepts into suitable product recommendations.
• Confident in presenting ideas, explaining product choices, and supporting recommendations with logical reasoning.
• Good spoken and written English, particularly for international supplier communication.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and supplier relationship management skills.
• Prompt, organized, and proactive in responding to supplier messages, requests, and follow-ups.
• Ability to compare pricing, MOQs, customization methods, lead times, and product specifications.
• Proficiency in Excel, Google Sheets, PowerPoint, or Canva is an advantage.
• Familiarity with AI tools for product research, idea generation, and creative sourcing is a plus.
• Understanding of the UAE corporate gifting market is an added advantage.

What We Offer

• Monthly Salary: AED 3,500
• UAE Employment Visa Provided
• Opportunity to work on creative merchandise projects for leading corporate brands, events, exhibitions, and organizations.
• Exposure to international suppliers, manufacturers, and innovative product markets.
• Hands-on involvement in developing new corporate gifting concepts and product collections.
• Collaborative and creative working environment with opportunities to grow.

Who We're Looking For

We want someone who is naturally curious about products.

Someone who can spend time exploring Alibaba, discover something unusual, and immediately recognize its potential for a corporate event, brand campaign, or gifting occasion.

Someone who doesn't just forward product links, but can confidently explain:

• Why is this product a good fit for the client?
• How does it match the event, theme, or target audience?
• What makes it different from products already available in the market?
• Can it be customized, branded, and delivered at a competitive cost?
• Why should CHOPS consider adding it to its product offering?

If you enjoy discovering creative products, communicating with suppliers, and turning unique ideas into practical gifting solutions, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now with your updated CV and any relevant experience in product research, sourcing, or supplier coordination.