Manager, Merchandise Planning

Manager, Merchandise Planning Beverly Hills, CA Role Overview As the Planning Manager, you will serve as the financial architect of our product divisions, bridging the gap between creative vision and profitable growth. You will own the end-to-end strategic planning, forecasting, and inventory management processes to maximize sales, optimize margin, and mitigate inventory risk. This role requires a blend of rigorous data analytics, high-level financial acumen (OTB mastery), and collaborative leadership to guide cross-functional partners (Buying, Design, and Supply Chain) toward shared company targets. Key Responsibilities 1. Financial Planning & Open-to-Buy (OTB) Ownership Strategic Forecasting: Develop and manage pre-season and in-season sales, margin, and inventory plans at the category, class, and subclass levels, aligning them with top-down corporate financial goals. OTB Management: Own the monthly Open-to-Buy process; proactively identify risks and opportunities, and recommend strategic shifts in receipt flow or pricing controls to maximize profitability. Margin Optimization: Drive profitability by managing product lifecycle pricing, including initial markup (IMU), promotional strategies, and markdown cadence to hit Gross Margin (GM) and Gross Margin Return on Investment (GMROI) goals. 2. In-Season Execution & Inventory Management Commercial Analysis: Analyze weekly, monthly, and seasonal sales performance, extracting actionable data trends to optimize in-season chase opportunities, re-orders, and order cancellations. Inventory Health & Turn: Monitor and maintain optimal inventory levels. Accelerate inventory turns, manage weeks of supply (WOS), and develop strategic exit strategies for slow-moving liability inventory. Sleeve/Assortment Architecture: Partner with Buying to build profitable bottom-up assortment frameworks, ensuring the breadth and depth of the buy align with regional demand, trend forecasting, and historical performance. 3. Technology & Analytics Optimization Data-Driven Decision Making: Leverage advanced reporting systems and Business Intelligence (BI) tools to build predictive models, dashboard analytics, and automated reporting structures. Process Scale: Transition manual planning processes and legacy Excel sheets into scalable, automated workflows to increase departmental efficiency and speed-to-market. Market Insights: Conduct competitive market research and white-space analysis to identify emerging customer demands and structural growth opportunities. 4. Cross-Functional Leadership & Mentorship Strategic Alignment: Collaborate weekly with the Vice President, Buying Counterparts, Design, and Visual Merchandising to ensure a unified product and financial strategy. Team Management: Direct, mentor, and develop a team of Associate/Assistant Planners, fostering a culture of continuous learning, analytical reasoning, and data transparency. Stakeholder Communication: Translate complex financial data and inventory constraints into clear, narrative-driven strategies for non-finance executive leadership. Required Qualifications & Experience Experience: Minimum 57 years of progressive experience in eCommerce planning and inventory management with at least 12 years in a supervisory/management capacity. Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Accounting, or a related quantitative field. Retail Context: Proven track record in a fast-paced environment (Off-Price, Fast-Fashion, or high-volume E-commerce preferred) managing an OTB of $50M+. Technical Skills Advanced Excel: Mastery of Excel (VBA, Power Query, complex nested logic formulas, macros) for deep data manipulation. BI & ERP Systems: Proven proficiency with modern planning software, ERPs, and BI platforms (e.g., NetSuite, Power BI, Looker, Tableau, RDW/SCM software). Soft Skills Analytical Reasoning: Exceptional ability to look beyond static numbers to understand the "why" behind consumer behavior and financial trends. Agility & Ownership: A high degree of personal accountability with a "business owner" mentality comfortable shifting strategies quickly in reaction to volatile market changes. Influential Communication: Strong negotiating and presentation skills; able to push back on buying/creative teams with data-backed narratives to maintain financial guardrails. Benefits NEW state-of-the-art HQ in Beverly Hills! Formalized career paths for continued professional growth. Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO). Comprehensive health insurance across Medical, Dental and Vision. 401k match, with immediate vesting upon eligibility. Weekly catered lunches & fully-stock kitchen pantry! Opportunities to travel for trade shows and vendor meetings. Summer Fridays Early Departure. Team bonding events and programs. Attractive employee discounts! Fashion Nova, LLC, and subsidiaries thereof, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are steadfast in our commitment to equal employment opportunities and pledge that these objectives are reflected in all aspects of our daily operations. We will continue to recruit, hire, train, and advance in employment qualified individuals in all job titles without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, status as a protected veteran, criminal history or status as an individual with a disability; and shall not discriminate against any individual, any such characteristic, nor any other classification protected by local, state and or federal law. #J-18808-Ljbffr Fashion Nova