Job Summary
The Merchandise Planner is responsible for driving category financial performance relating to sales, inventory turn, and margin. This position requires strong analytical and financial skills, sound business acumen, and a proven ability to leverage cross-functional communication and influence to deliver results.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Planning: Develop and implement comprehensive annual, preseason, and assortment plans that align with the category vision and financial strategies—driving sales, landed margin growth, inventory productivity, and service levels.
- Open-to-Buy (OTB) Management: Manage OTB by identifying risks and opportunities while overseeing in-season monitoring, promotional planning, and reforecasting receipt flows utilizing multi-source data.
- Financial Alignment: Align bottom-up category forecasts with top-down financial plans.
- Assortment Optimization: Formulate assortment plans and drive SKU optimization utilizing data- driven insights, advanced analytics, and emerging technologies (such as RPA and AI tools).
- Performance Reviews: Participate in category performance reviews, providing data-backed recommendations for promotions, pricing, sell-through, markdowns, and exit strategies.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner dynamically with cross-functional teams—including Merchandising, Inventory Management, Sales, Supply Chain, and Operations—to proactively recommend strategic adjustments that maximize profitability and reduce liability.
Qualifications, Skills, and Experience
- Experience: 3–5 years of experience (preferably in merchandise planning, inventory management, or demand forecasting).
- Analytical Capability: Strong strategic thinking, quantitative planning, and analytical skills with experience managing OTB and building bottom-up forecasts.
- Communication & Influence: Excellent communication skills with the ability to build relationships and influence cross-functional stakeholders.
- Technical Proficiency: Proficiency in merchandise, procurement, assortment, and space planning software/systems preferred. Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and data management tools, alongside an ability to leverage modern analytical tools to drive efficiencies.
- Execution & Organization: Strong organizational skills, with a demonstrated capacity to handle multiple competing priorities and deliver clean, accurate results in a fast-paced environment.
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, Retail, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.
