Job description
Merchandise Planner – (Remote)
Merchandise Planner primary purpose is to drive sales & inventory forecasts for all Topline Categories / GBU within a monthly OTB forecasts. Ensure sales and inventory forecasts are driving demand plans and integrated with Finance and Sales forecasts. Provide preseason topline targets to merchants for assorting and buying. Ensure OTB’s by channels inform finance budgets and call out risk and opportunities in season.
Essential Functions:
• Pre-Season - Category / Collection / GBU Sales & Inventory Merchandise Financial Plans (MFP)
o Retail Pre-Season – O&O and Estore top down category / collection / GBU plans per season to ensure sales and inventory targets are in line with financials
o Wholesale Pre-Season Sell in to Sell out Plans for Key Wholesale Accounts top down category / collection / GBU plans per season to ensure sell targets are in line with financials
• In Season - Category / Collection / GBU Sales & Inventory Forecasting (MFF)
o Retail Pre-Season – O&O and Estore top down category / collection / GBU monthly / quarterly reforecasts based on trends to ensure sales and inventory targets are in line with financials
o Wholesale Pre-Season Sell in to Sell out reforecast for Key Wholesale Accounts based on orders vs forecasts top down category / collection / GBU plans per season to ensure sell targets are in line with financials
o Become expert at controlling TXT MFP parameters for Top Down & Bottom Up reconciliations o Price Type plans (LRRP, ASP, Discount Rate)
o Margin Type (IMU, NET)
- Ultimate Owner of Inventory Optimization & variances to Targets
- Analytical driver of ’one version of the truth’ on product performance to plan and LY LFL
- Ensure Online and Offline inventory balance is planned preseason and in season
o Online v Offline stock to sales targets
o Ensure stock plans are balanced across LC/DC to optimize each channel’s peaks o Build inventories according to budgets and forecasts
o Escalate any risks
• Owner of Life Cycle Management
o Leader of EoSS and Outlet sales and inventory o Global In store & exits
o Provisions
o Remelts forecasts
- Escalate any inventory issues to Demand Planners Merchandisers proactively to secure sales upside (shortages) and mitigate downside risks (overages)
- Key role in Weekly Trade Reviews communicating variances to sales targets, inventory targets through S&OP and clear actions to address issues
Something About You:
- Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Finance, Marketing, Business Administration, Fashion Merchandising
- 5+ years of solid experience working within Merchandising and/or experience from retail, fashion, lifestyle or FMCG
industry
- Strong, seasoned, technical merchandise planner / OTB manager or with vertical retailing, omni experience
- Relentlessly commercial and fact based and analytical
- Strong business acumen & analytical
- Ability to collaborate cross-functionally & geographically
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to manage large sets of data and present results in a simple manner
- Able to develop and maintain strong working relationships with peers and cross-functional teams.
- Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities.
- Able to perform under pressure, organize and prioritize workload to meet deadline.
- Escalates issues proactively
- High level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel and strong aptitude to learn technical applications (like MS Access, Hyperion and APTOS) quickly
- Knowledge of planning software
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Excellent presentation skills.
Travel Required: less than 10%
