Full-Time Positions
NO POSITIONS AVAILABLE
Internship Positions
FINANCE INTERN
We are seeking dedicated individuals to intern with our Finance department. Internship positions are approximately 3 months in duration, hours are flexible and range from 12-30 hours per week, and we can work around a class or work schedule. This is an unpaid position, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
The Finance Intern will gain hands-on experience in the growing industry of fair trade. This position reports to the Director of Finance, and will be involved in activities involving finance, marketing and IT.
Desired Qualifications
- Currently pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in finance or business administration
- Experience with Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint, and Word
- Excellent quantitative, analytical and problem solving skills
- Good written and communication skills
- Passion for fair trade and/or social impact
Expected Outcomes
The Finance Intern will gain an understanding of fair trade and an appreciation for a bootstrapped business experiencing 20%+ annual growth. The Finance Intern will assist the Finance Director in streamlining processes and will help build a more rigorous control environment. In addition, the intern will gain a broader understanding of small business operations by researching applicable certifications, preparing cost/benefit analysis and if applicable, completing applications. Finally, all interns help with some operational and warehouse work (10%).
To Apply
E-mail Christine at christinek@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship. You are welcome to include relevant graphic design or writing samples. Candidates should allow 7-10 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
OPERATIONS AND SUSTAINABILITY INTERN
We are seeking dedicated individuals to intern with our Operations team. Internship positions are approximately 3 months in duration, hours are flexible and range from 12-30 hours per week, and we can work around a class or work schedule. This is an unpaid position, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
Ideal candidates will have an interest in fair trade and green business practices, experience with Microsoft Office Suite, and excellent written and communication skills. Passion for organization a plus. Physical demands of the position include standing, walking, sitting, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching and lifting. Intern may be asked to occasionally maneuver heavy boxes.
Long Term Project: The Operations and Sustainability intern will engage in a long term project analyzing Mata Traders’ retail and wholesale shipping practices, looking for opportunities to further green our business. The prospective intern will work with the Operations and Management team to recommend better sustainability practices for the Operations Department. The prospective intern should be comfortable with internet research and phone outreach.
Duties
- Maintain and update Mata Traders’ wholesale and retail records
- Perform administrative duties related to wholesale and retail sales cycles, including stock level counts, web inventory updates, and order fulfillment
- Assist with reception of incoming inventory, including shelf preparation, unpacking and backstocking
- Assist with inventory put-backs
- Perform ad-hoc trouble-shooting and tasks to ensure accuracy of Mata Traders’ Operations Department
To Apply
E-mail Maria Planansky at maria@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship and include photos of your design work if applicable. Candidates should allow 7-10 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
SALES AND MERCHANDISING INTERN
We are seeking dedicated individuals to intern with our sales team. Internship positions are approximately 3 months in duration, hours are flexible and range from 12-30 hours per week, and we can work around a class or work schedule. This is an unpaid position, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
Ideal candidates will have an interest in visual merchandising and retail sales, experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, good written and communication skills, and some basic knowledge of social media. Attention to detail and a flair for organization a plus.
Duties
Andersonville Galleria
- Responsible for organizing and restocking merchandise and tracking monthly sales
- Assist with creating clever sales strategies and doing weekly upkeep
- Assist with visual merchandising and booth redesign when needed
Trade Show Prep
- Assist with preparing complete trade show sample sets of jewelry and clothing
- Assist with packing display items for trade show
- Assist with booth layout
Trade Show Staffing
Warehouse Events
- Assist with merchandising and restock our Mata retail space
- Assist with sales during events
Off-site Events
- Assist with off-site event setup and takedown
- Gain face to face sales experience and learn how to generate foot traffic (i.e. hand out flyers or coupons to attract customers)
Sales Assistance
- Participate in lead search campaigns for new customers
- Catalog mailings
To Apply
E-mail Jonit Bookheim at jonit@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship. You are welcome to include relevant graphic design or writing samples. Candidates should allow 7-10 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
MARKETING INTERN
We are seeking dedicated individuals to intern with our marketing and sales team. Internship positions are approximately 3 months in duration, hours are flexible and range from 12-30 hours per week, and we can work around a class or work schedule. This is an unpaid position, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
Ideal candidates will have experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, good written and communication skills, and some basic knowledge of social media.
Duties
- Collect quantitative and qualitative data from marketing campaigns
- Assist with digital strategy, including SEO, analytics reporting, and social media
- Perform market analysis and research on competition
- Brainstorm and implement PR programming to build brand recognition
- Create content for facebook, twitter, pinterest, YouTube, our blog, and email marketing
- Website management: uploading products and descriptions, testing the site, updating pricing, etc
- Represent our brand at industry wholesale trade shows
- Assist with merchandising and sales at our off-site retail events and Galleria space
- Help design flyers, brochures, catalog, tags, etc
- Trend research for collections
To Apply
E-mail Jonit Bookheim at jonit@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship. You are welcome to include relevant graphic design or writing samples. Candidates should allow 7-10 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
PRODUCTION INTERN
We are seeking dedicated individuals to intern with our production department. Internship positions are approximately 3 months in duration, hours are flexible and range from 12-30 hours per week, and we can work around a class or work schedule. This is an unpaid position, for university course-credit preferred, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
Ideal candidates will be fashion or business majors with previous experience in the fashion industry. Proficient to strong skills in Excel are preferred. Applicants should have a desire to take part in the production and quality control processes as well as merchandising analysis of our jewelry and apparel lines. This internship is a great opportunity to learn the entire cycle of jewelry and clothing from design to product arrival. Candidates will take on a term long project culminating in a short presentation. A few example topics for this project are: sustainability in sourcing, analysis of sales & returns data as it pertains to design & production, study of fabric printing and weaving methods in India and Nepal.
Duties
- Create reporting on sales trends to inform design and production decisions
- Perform quality control checks on received goods and production samples
- Create spec sheets and quality reports
- Spot check measurements on inventoried garments
- Assist with fittings and sample organization
- Occasionally assist with general office duties, including order fulfillment
- Represent our brand at industry wholesale trade shows as needed
- Assist with merchandising and sales at our off-site retail events as needed
- Complete a term long project with short presentation at the close of internship
To Apply
E-mail Avani Mody at avani@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship and include photos of your design work. Candidates should allow 7-10 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
TEXTILE AND FIBER ARTS INTERN
Interested in fiber arts/textiles? We have a passion for color and bold, funky prints. Help us create our original block print, screen print, and woven designs. In addition, you can contribute to the appliqué and embroidery design process. There are also opportunities to design jewelry – no experience is necessary but photoshop and illustrator are helpful.
Internship positions are approximately 3 months in duration, hours are flexible and range from 12-30 hours per week, and we can work around a class or work schedule. Interns are welcome to work from home to do their independent design projects, although you must be able to come to the office and work on various projects 1-2 times a week. This is an unpaid position, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
Ideal candidates will be textile or fiber arts majors or have some experience in the textiles industry. A working knowledge of photoshop and illustrator are a plus. We value creativity but also love efficiency and thoroughness. This internship is a great portfolio builder, as there’s a good chance you will end up seeing some of your designs get put into our collections.
Duties
- Trend search and forecast
- Help develop the collection's color story; this will include researching Pantone and other color trend forecasts
- Design and sketch block and screen prints suitable to our fabrics and aesthetic
- Put ideas into photoshop and illustrator and collaborate with our in-house textile designer to create tessellations
- Make color combo variations
- Put fabric color variations into garment flats
- Create fabric spec requests
- Design appliqué and embroidery work
- Trend search, sketch, and digitize jewelry ideas, and put into spec
- Occasionally assist with general office duties, including order fulfillment
- Perform quality control checks and spot check fabrics on received goods
- Represent our brand at industry wholesale trade shows
- Assist with merchandising and sales at our retail off-site events and Galleria space
To Apply
E-mail Maureen Fetscher at maureen@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship and include photos of your design work. Candidates should allow 7-10 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
POST-PRODUCTION VIDEO INTERN
We are seeking Video Production Interns to join our marketing team. This is a hands-on opportunity to contribute to a growing business with a social mission. We have a ton of footage from our visits to our producer groups in India and Nepal, and we need help putting it together to tell our story. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, fastidious, and creative. The candidate must be proficient with editing software. Internship positions are approximately three months in duration. Hours are flexible and we can work around a class or work schedule. Interns are welcome to work from home to do their independent editing work or can work from our office. This is an unpaid position, located at our offices in Chicago, IL.
To Apply
E-mail Jonit Bookheim at jonit@matatraders.com with your resume and tell us why you think you are a good fit. Please indicate what dates you are available for the internship and include links to any A/V work. Candidates should allow 10-14 days for a reply.
We are accepting applications for the winter/spring 2019 term.
Submissions for winter/spring 2019 will be reviewed starting November 1, 2018. Winter/spring term runs anytime between January through May, 2019. Internships typically run 3 months in duration.
Will Work For Clothes - Volunteer At Mata
We are seeking quality control and festival sale volunteers on a limited, short-term basis during our busiest times of the year. If you are someone local who wants to help out and learn how our company works in exchange for free Mata product, this is the gig for you. We pay in product credit to be a temporary Please contact Michelle Thomas at michelle@matatraders.com to find out further information.