Merchandise Planner

**Merchandise Planner**

** Quincy, MA**

**Our Brand :**

J.Jill is a premier omnichannel retailer and nationally recognized womens apparel brand committed to delighting customers with great wear-now product. The brand represents an easy, thoughtful and inspired style that reflects the confidence of remarkable women who live life with joy, passion and purpose. J.Jill offers a guiding customer experience through more than 280 stores nationwide and a robust e-commerce platform. J.Jill is headquartered outside Boston.

**Overview :**

The Planner plays a key role in developing, executing, and communicating strategic merchandise financial plans and style assortment plans. This role partners with Merchants in driving and maximizing sales and margin.

**Responsibilities :**

* Supports development, in partnership with their Merchant, the six-month Seasonal Merchandise Plans for their respective areas of responsibility and with respect to the companys goals and targets. Review plans to Senior Management.

* Partners with the Merchant on managing the Monthly Business Review (MBR) process through the development of sales, margin, receipt and inventory forecasts, supporting these forecasts with unit projections, and reporting unit performance and forecasts and receipt issues during the MBR meetings. Presents forecasts at monthly business review meetings (MBR) and provide analysis to support recommendations.

* Manages the receipts and inventory against targeted weeks of supply objectives and partner with merchandising to recommend actions that drive sales and maximize gross margin by ensuring best receipt flow.

* Partners with their respective Merchant to develop the ideal assortment to maximize sales and margin for each buy period, ensuring the appropriate costs, retails and number of customer choices to achieve each periods targets.

+ Evaluates and determines demand targets for assortment plan development.

+ Determines unit quantities to buy and to reorder (to the color and size levels), which will effectively maximize the ability of the Direct channels to maximize sales and margin for each buy period.

* Develops and manages markdown, promotional and exit strategies for seasonal programs to effectively mitigate aged inventory.

* Maintains open and continual communication with Merchandising, Sourcing, and Marketing teams.

* Develops unit demand and inventory plans for major programs and key items to ensure adequate inventory coverage to meet fulfillment needs. Effectively monitors sales and inventory levels to project future stock needs or to recommend liquidation strategies.

* Through direction of the Planning Manager, partners cross channel to ensure optimal, balanced inventories to best serve the customer needs.

* Monitors demand needs by style/color and maintain CNS codes to effectively manage back orders.

* Analyzes and recommends size curves for buy quantities

* Adheres to the Corporate Calendar in preparation and ownership of meetings, due dates, delivery dates, etc.

**Qualifications :**

* Be a leader, facilitate group discussions for maximum idea generation and problem solving.

* Strong analytical skills and curiosity to analyze business.

* Work as an effective member of the Merchandise-Planning-Allocation team to achieve business and financial targets that support the business needs.

* Communicate and understand the brand, the vision, and the business strategies of the Company and effectively communicate to team and partners.

* Ensure tasks are completed on deadline and completely and accurately.

* Possess strong organizational skills.

* Find risk and the challenge of new problems stimulating and respond with action.

* Make quick, action-oriented decisions in response to changing conditions.

* Solve problems through innovative, futuristic thinking.

* Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and projects.

* Focus individual and team efforts on achieving results.

* Identify what needs to be done and does it before being asked or required by the situation.

* Commit to positive results and maintains commitment regardless of obstacles and frustrations.

* Build rapport and relationships focused on achieving results.

* Own the process, plan and the results.

* Bachelors degree

* 3+ years of specialty retail experience, preferably in Specialty Apparel Planning and Allocation. Additional demand planning and forecasting, and merchandising experience a plus.

* Strong analytical and financial skills.

*The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by associates assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of this position.*

At J.Jill, our success is guided by a culture that values the intrinsic art of creativity and the data science required to drive our future growth. We are collaborative and data-centric, with every associate focused on creating our customers unique experience and delivering results through our omnichannel business model. We embrace each others differences and unique perspectives and consider all applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity and expression, marital or military status. We also provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and applicable state and local law.