Associate Merchandise Planner

Associate Merchandise PlannerAt Morris Furniture Company, our values represent our distinctive core beliefs-the Morris way of doing business. Our mission is "Making Homes Great" and we bring our mission to life through our values of Professionalism, Quality, Ownership, Collaboration, Integrity, and Fun.Purpose: The Associate Merchandise Planner works directly with the Merchandise Planner to execute inventory planning, purchasing, and freight management activities for assigned categories and vendors. This role is responsible for accurate and timely purchase order execution, inventory replenishment, freight cost management and negotiation, and resolution of order and delivery issues. The Associate Merchandise Planner contributes to sales and profit objectives by driving product availability, maintaining healthy inventory levels, and identifying opportunities to improve freight costs and operational efficiency.General Description of Duties: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.Assist the Merchandise Planner with day-to-day activities to support the merchandising department.Manage freight activities, including shipment tracking, freight invoice review, carrier and vendor performance, freight cost analysis, and negotiation of freight rates and terms with vendors and carriers.Conduct regular freight and invoice audits with vendors and carriers to evaluate rates, service levels, routing, and freight costs; identify opportunities for cost reduction and improved service; and negotiate changes as appropriate.Manage reported overage and shortage discrepancies by coordinating with vendors and freight carriers to investigate and resolve.Maintain appropriate stock levels and place weekly purchase orders for assigned categories and vendors.Place daily purchase orders for oversold products within assigned categories and vendors.Partner with the Buying Team on advertised products to ensure sufficient inventory is available to support promotions.Manage custom orders by reviewing internal system updates, placing purchase orders, and communicating missing information, delays, or exceptions.Review and balance aged or dispositioned inventory to support healthy inventory levels.Communicate with vendors regarding purchase order updates, including cost changes, delivery dates, and discontinued items.Review, process, and file vendor purchase order acknowledgements and related documentation.Provide coverage for other Merchandising and Planning Team Members as needed.Partner cross functionally with Buying, Distribution, and Store teams to align inventory needs, order timing, and issue resolution.Identify, recommend, and support implementation of process improvements that enhance customer experience, increase efficiency, and reduce waste.Follow established policies and procedures to ensure vendor purchase orders are processed according to best practices.Adhere to strict deadlines and demonstrate strong attention to detail in execution of assigned responsibilities.Qualifications:Manage multiple and high-priority assignments in an organized and accurate mannerWork as part of a collaborative teamDetailed oriented and good written and verbal communicatorStrong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret data and help make recommendationsAbility to take ownership of assigned categories and execute with a high level of accountabilityRequirements:High School Diploma or General Education Diploma; or equivalent combination of experience and educationAssociate's Degree preferredDemonstrated experience in logistics and freight management, including direct experience negotiating freight rates, terms, and/or carrier agreementsProficiency in Microsoft Excel (basic formulas, data organization, and reporting) preferredExperience in Purchasing preferredExperience in Merchandising preferredExperience in Vendor Negotiations preferredExperience in Invoice Review and Approval Procedures preferredWork Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, walk, talk, hear, bend, twist, crouch, stoop, kneel, and lift 50 pounds. The employee will use hands and fingers to handle and/or feel objects, tools or controls. He or she will reach with hands and arms. Specific visual abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and the ability to adjust focus. Employees are regularly required to lift, push, pull and/or move up to 50 pounds. This job description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employees. The Company reserves the right to update or modify job descriptions at any time without notice.