Merchandise Planner

Job Title: Merchandise Planner, Assortment Strategist

Department: Merchandising and Planning

FLSA Status: Exempt

Reports To: Manager, Planning

The Merchandise Planner, Assortment Strategist is responsible for driving sales and profit objectives for a merchandise category or categories, collaborating with buying teams to support merchandising and financial strategies. This role oversees the ongoing management of sales and inventory, making recommendations on sales and receipts based on current trends. The Merchandise Planner, Assortment Strategist develops product assortments and buying plans for each season by analyzing sales and inventory data and metrics, ensuring the optimal selection for consumers, creating the right balance between the number of styles and depths, and avoiding overstocking.

• Develop and maintain item-level plans that project inventory needed to achieve sales and liquidation goals.
• Provide the analytical foundation for product needs by category in detail, using historical selling data seasonally to determine the needs of the stores and curate a collection of styles that ensure enough of a selection for the consumer, keeping in mind overstocking and creating an optimal balance between the number of styles and the depth of each style.
• Work with marketing, E-commerce, and business partners in the merchandising department to carry out merchandising strategic plans and vision for the season.
• Collaborate with Buyers to develop seasonal assortments, store clusters, and inventory flow plans and to align assortment strategies to achieve financial plans.
• Build assortment sheets and plans (shopping list) and determine the number of units and SKUs to hit the planned metrics for the season.
• Run and compile seasonal sales information, grading to create clusters for assortments, and grading stores on performance for each season.
• Prepare reports required for seasonal analytics, including weekly performance recaps.
• Provide ad-hoc business reports and analysis as needed.
• Create vendor final line recaps and internal assortment summaries for upper management approval.
• Provide analytical support to the buying team by quantifying the impact of strategic, promotion, and assortment changes.
• Conduct sales recaps, unit plans, and EOM projections weekly.
• Update and maintain daily, weekly, and monthly sales tracking and plans to accurately forecast and adjust unit needs.
• Create seasonal forecasts.
• Work with the buying team to implement the seasonal merchandise objectives, establishing unit targets and monthly flows.
• Run smart average analysis and size optimization reports at the end of each selling season to aid in the order-writing process.
• Work with planners to challenge group-level plans to ensure consistency with goals, communicating product direction.
• Identify growth opportunities and new business for sales optimization.
• Perform analysis of historical style performance and sales data.
• Attend vendor meetings and travel to see vendors.
• Work with buyers, planners, and training teams on how to project and predict future business trends.
• Protect the company's assets and financial information by ensuring the accuracy and effectiveness of internal control procedures and informing management and/or appropriate officials of potential fraud risk.

• Bachelor's degree in business or a related field.
• 1-3 years of experience with merchandise planning and/or allocation.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Ability to work in a team environment and meet deadlines.
• Ability to analyze data and create financial plans, adjusting plans as needed.