Associate Merchandise Planner

Job Description

As an Associate Merchandise Planner, you will manage Brand Planning for both pre-season and in-season timeframes to ensure SKU in-stock and DOH targets are met. Reporting to the Senior Merchandise Planner, you will be the financial partner with the Merchant to grow and drive business.

Planning, forecasting and allocating products are the crucial first steps in the products’ journey to our clients. It takes analytical, strategic, and results-oriented inventory management professionals to build our brand partnerships, forecast client behaviors and optimize inventory levels across our network. Operations and logistics complete the products’ journey into our clients’ hands. Our energetic and innovative team continuously improves speed and accuracy on our promise to our clients in a fast-growing and ever-evolving marketplace. It’s one thing to create experiences -- but the key is in delivering them.

Day-to-day responsibilities and time spent on them:

• Create pre-season Brand Budget Plans partnering with Inventory Directors, Merchants, and Vendors - 10%

• Develop New Brand strategies, projected sales, inventory by SKU needs, and order flow set ups for launch timeframe - 20%

• Open to Buy (OTB): Own accurate monthly in season OTB sales, gm%, receipt, and inventory adjustment projections. Reconcile OTB Sales and Receipt projections to Replenishment/Demand Planning system forecasts. Present at monthly cross-functional OTB meeting - 20%

• Partner with Demand Planning on forecast alignment and strategy - 5%

• Partner and guide Merchandise Planning Assistants to prioritize newness/important orders, elevate and communicate delays in key launches - 5%

• Analytics: Analyze and validate sales and inventory needs for Key Initiatives, Animations and promotions. Conduct Newness hindsight and key initiatives analysis on a seasonal basis - 15%

• Develop liquidation strategy on exit brands/collections or overstock - 5%

• Consistent communication with vendors on sales performance, in-stocks, and outstanding issues - 10%

• Validate productive assortment by analysis and recommendations of presentation, items to discontinue, and items to develop, within productivity guidelines in collaboration with Merchandising Team - 10%

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to View email address on click.appcast.io learn more about how we collect, keep, and process your private information, please review Insight Global's Workforce Privacy Policy:

Skills and Requirements

• 4+ years of Planning experience

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain management, finance/business, or a related field preferred

• Excellent technical skills – MS Office (specifically Excel, Word).

• Contributes new ideas and finds solutions to business challenges in merchandising, operations and finance.

• Proven ability to interpret and synthesize data into intelligent business decisions.

• Must be detail-oriented, with strong organizational and task management skills.

• Clear and concise written, verbal, and presentation skills.

• Good negotiation skills.

• Strong problem solving and analytical skills.

• Strong organizational and time management skills; able to handle multiple priorities.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Keen attention to detail.

• Ability to work in fast-paced, often-changing environment.

Flexible, team player