Demand Planner

Job Description

Job Description

We’ve built Rowan by rethinking the ear piercing experience from the ground up—prioritizing safety, clinical expertise, and a customer experience that feels both celebratory and trusted. Every piercing is performed by licensed nurses and guided by our Rowan Clinical Piercing Standard® and paired with our hypoallergenic products, setting a clear standard that is differentiated from traditional retail models. Our goal is to create a destination where customers feel confident, cared for, and excited to participate.

Rowan’s Demand Planner, reporting directly to the Director of Inventory Management, will be data and process driven and be expected to drive sales growth and profitability using analytics, historical trends, and industry knowledge to help develop item, category, assortment and brand level merchandise sales and buy plans.  This role requires the ability to influence both peers and managers at all levels of the business. Accountability for analysis of the business and the development of future strategies that support financial targets is a key component of this role.  A successful candidate enjoys working with a team in a fast-paced environment and is passionate about retail.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with inventory and buying departments to deeply understand business performance at the item level.
• Collaborate with relevant teams to develop item, category-level and subcategory strategies, enhancing overall business effectiveness.
• Develop and maintain accurate demand forecasts by analyzing sales trends, seasonality, promotions, and market intelligence.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and identify root causes of forecast errors; implement continuous improvements.
• Maintain SKU-level forecast data and support new product introductions and phase-outs.
• Prepare and present reports and dashboards on forecast performance, inventory metrics, and demand trends.
• Lead Open to Buy (OTB) discussions, identifying and focusing on business drivers, opportunities, and strategic initiatives.
• Oversee markdown management and inventory health, including pre-season buying budgets, in-season replenishment, pricing strategies, and procurement forecasts.
• Conduct comprehensive financial forecasting, including item-level planning, annual operating plans, and regular forecasts of sales, receipts, gross margin, and inventory positions across various timeframes and categories.
• Conduct detailed analyses to support strategic initiatives and regularly review business performance, providing actionable insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Understand and anticipate customer behavior and market trends to influence demand and adjust category vision and strategies accordingly.
• Perform detailed vendor analysis to support and inform negotiations.
• Communicate effectively to align and influence cross-functional stakeholders, ensuring collaboration with Allocation, Finance, Marketing, and Operations teams to meet collective goals.
• Drive initiatives aimed at maximizing sales potential and continuously seek opportunities to improve overall business performance.
• Run financial modeling to support informed buying decisions, incorporating assumptions, expectations, and known risks.
• Ensure structured reporting deliverables are met, evaluating reports for accuracy, performance efficiency, and adherence to best practices.
• Provide timely and accurate re-projections based on current trends to effectively manage inventory and drive margin.
• Interface with key departments to ensure cross-functional goals are met.
• Exhibit initiative to look beyond the everyday business to identify opportunities to maximize sales potential.
• Perform all other duties as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to changing business needs and expectations.

• Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Finance, Business, Accounting or similar field or equivalent experience. 
• 3-5 years’ experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, analytics, planning, business management, omni-channel merchandising, or related area. 
• Very strong analytically with strong communications and presentation skills; ability to present complex information to various audiences.
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, time management, and influencing cross functionally. 
• Strong executive presence with the ability to partner and challenge simultaneously. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Applications (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word). 
• Entrepreneurial spirit - excited by the challenges that come along with building brands. 

• Medical/Dental/Vision Health Plans
• Long-term Disability 
• Life Insurance
• 401k and Roth IRA Plans 
• Paid Parental Leave
• Open PTO policy
• Employee discounts on our amazing products!

About Us: Rowan is an innovative ear-piercing and hypoallergenic jewelry brand that brings safety to the forefront with our team of licensed nurses—and celebration to every guest with our joyful approach to piercings and jewelry. Our brick-and-mortar locations across the US also provide a long-overdue alternative to the standard mall piercing. At Rowan, we believe that every ear piercing is a milestone and it should be celebrated. We believe in “Piercing for All”. 

Check us out on CNBC's How I Made It

Check us out on the TODAY Show on NBC — How 1 woman is reinventing the ear piercing experience (today.com)

How Rowan Has Created a New Pathway for Nurses

Important note: Rowan believes in teamwork, collaboration, and diversity. We know our team is stronger together and we commit to staying true to these values as we grow. In a remote setting, interviewing at Rowan may include phone interviews, virtual “on-site” interviews, and on-the-job mock cases. We are committed to run a thorough process for candidates with whom we identify a potential match, and we will do our best to follow-up with each and every applicant! If you’re on the fence, just give it a try! We are an equal opportunity employer and we encourage everyone to apply!

Rowan is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), color, national origin (including language use and possession of a driver's license issued to persons unable to prove their presence in the United States is authorized under federal law), ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity (including transgender identification), gender expression, age for individuals over forty years of age, military and veteran status of any person, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws (“protected characteristics”).   

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.