Senior Manager, Sales Planning - Merrell

Overview The Senior Manager, Sales Planning is a strategic partner and functional leader responsible for the end-to-end sales forecasting and planning process for the assigned brand and/or region. This role translates brand strategy, market dynamics, and commercial priorities into accurate, actionable sales forecasts that support growth and achievement of financial targets. Responsibilities Lead the end-to-end wholesale sales forecasting and planning process for the assigned brand/region, including a rolling 12–18 month forecast and monthly updates across all sales channels and key accounts. Ensure forecasts are accurate, timely, and aligned with brand strategy and financial targets to deliver budget. Develop and maintain sales forecasting tools and templates, overseeing setup, data inputs, maintenance, and quality control. Manage the monthly collection and consolidation of sales forecasts from sales teams, incorporating performance attainment, forecast accuracy, and customer insights. Provide comprehensive sales performance and trend analysis across key accounts, regions, and channels. Monitor sell-in, sell-through, bookings, backlog, shipments, and retailer performance to identify in-season risks and opportunities. Adjust forecasts and tactics proactively to ensure alignment with targets. Lead the annual wholesale account planning process in partnership with Sales, owning planning templates, reporting, and analysis. Deliver strategic insights to support accurate financial forecasting and effective inventory planning. Partner with Finance to align sales and financial plans, including revenue, volume, margin, and product mix. Compare forecasts against Mid-Range Plan (MFP), Long-Range Plan (LRP), and Corporate Finance targets, contributing market and consumer insights to support multi-year planning and long-term growth. Support inventory planning across the product lifecycle, collaborating cross-functionally to align sales forecasts with inventory needs for full-price, phase-out, and close-out stages. Deliver consolidated sales forecast reporting and insights for Integrated Business Planning (IBP), brand milestone meetings, and other leadership forums. Clearly communicate key assumptions, risks, and opportunities to stakeholders. Drive continuous improvement in sales planning processes and tools to enhance forecast accuracy, efficiency, and scalability. Identify and implement process refinements and system enhancements. Directly manage and develop a team of sales planning professionals, providing hands-on coaching, training, and performance feedback. Foster a collaborative, high-accountability culture that motivates team members and builds forecasting expertise. Perform all duties in alignment with company AAP/EEO policies and carry out additional responsibilities as assigned. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in business or related field. Diverse functional knowledge typically developed by 8+ years of experience in Sales Operations and/or Sales Planning. Intellectual curiosity and a desire to use data to identify and illustrate product sales and market trends. Strong analytics background with financial modeling skills. Proficiency in advanced MS Excel skills. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally. Ability to understand LRP and Corp Finance Targets and ensure projected volume/MFP outputs are in alignment. Broad understanding of Merch, Planning and Supply Chain functions; processes and ERP system. Ability to negotiate and gain cooperation between functions. Ability to continuously solve problems with a high level of independent decision making. Ability to provide overall leadership to team members and the business. Ability to select and implement methods, techniques, and evaluation criteria for obtaining results. Proven experience leading and developing direct reports, including coaching, performance management, and fostering a high-performing, collaborative team environment. Working Conditions Normal office environment. Travel may be required. Wolverine Worldwide has a flexible, hybrid work schedule, with three days in office and two days remote. Wolverine Worldwide is an equal opportunity employer. We value the differences in one another and believe our differences make us stronger. Our diverse and inclusive corporate culture starts with the recruitment process. We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer, and we aim to create equal opportunities for our associates, customers, and suppliers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic. #J-18808-Ljbffr