Merchandise Planner

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY:
This position will support the Ben Bridge merchandise function by developing, maintaining, and analyzing merchandise financial plans and forecasts for assigned categories. The Merchandise Planner will partner with Buying, Planning, and Allocation teams to align category financial plans with merchandising strategies, sales trends, inventory objectives, and gross margin goals.

This position will be tasked with maintaining open-to-buy reporting, departmental merchandise plans and forecasts, and analysis for the Ben Bridge merchandise team. The role will focus on maximizing sales, gross margin, inventory productivity, and turn through accurate financial planning, timely business analysis, and clear communication of risks and opportunities.

Recognize business trends and revise forecasts and plans as needed while recommending supplemental contingency plans where and when necessary. This position works with Buying, Allocation, Marketing, Finance, Distribution Center, and IT departments as needed to support and execute the merchandising plans.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Develop, maintain, and update sales, margin, inventory, and open-to-buy plans for assigned product categories.
• Support merchandise plans and forecasts by analyzing historical performance, current trends, seasonality, pricing, promotions, and inventory position.
• Maintain open-to-buy reporting and communicate risks, opportunities, and recommended actions to support sales, margin, inventory, and turn objectives.
• Build ad hoc reporting for Merchants and analyze business as required.
• Support annual and semi-annual sales, margin, and inventory planning processes.
• Prepare and communicate regular business updates, reporting summaries, and forecast recommendations to Merchandising team
• Manage SKU level plans, forecasts, order and SKU status updates as needed
• Work with Merchandising partners to support business objectives.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This role does not directly supervise any staff.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Three or more years of corporate retail experience in merchandise planning, allocation, financial planning, product demand planning, or related merchandising analysis required.
• Experience in merchandise financial planning, forecasting, open-to-buy management, pricing analysis, and inventory management preferred.
• Understanding of product assortment, SKU-level performance, allocation activity, seasonality, pricing, and promotional impacts on merchandise plans and forecasts required.
• Project management and prioritization skills.
• Strong analytical and advanced retail math skills required along with systems proficiency with Excel, Word, and planning systems.
• Advanced organizational skills and attention to detail are essential.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills required along with the ability to partner effectively within the broader Merchandising team, including Buying, Planning, and Allocation.
• Hybrid schedule with predictable onsite attendance required three or more days per week to perform essential functions involving interactive behaviors with co-workers and managers, operation or manipulation of equipment and/or materials located only on site, and direct interaction with internal and/or external customers.

COMPETENCIES:
Analytical Thinking, Business Knowledge, Retail Math, Forecasting, Relationship Building, Personal Accountability, Customer Service Orientation, Integrity, Teamwork and Cooperation