Merchandise Planner

General Summary: The Merchandise Planner develops, executes, and communicates strategic merchandise financial plans that support the company’s financial, product, and marketing objectives. The role is responsible for driving top‑line financial plans for a book of business from category to class/season level, strategically managing the business to maximize sales and margin, and optimizing inventory. The planner contributes to company initiatives and ensures all planning activities support annual goals. Responsibilities Develop category/class/season level sales, gross margin, and inventory plans that align with the company’s financial goals. Align with merchants to ensure product assortment meets financial objectives. Use historical data, current trends, and strategy to identify risks and opportunities for achieving financial goals. Create, maintain, and communicate the assumptions used in building the plan architecture. Identify opportunities and risks related to sales, margin, and inventory productivity and develop action plans to address them. Manage the markdown process and collaborate with cross‑functional partners to ensure markdowns fit within the financial plan; identify markdown risks and recommend strategies to limit liabilities. Develop ad‑hoc projections that simulate different business decisions. Review forecasts to maximize profit, optimize inventory, and manage risk across divisions; incorporate marketing, markdown, and inventory management plans. Meet with the merchant team to align on all financial revisions; communicate updates and action plans clearly and effectively. Create pre‑season category plans to support assortment development. Review historical data at cluster, category, and key item levels to understand prior performance. Set sales, margin, flow, and IMU goals before planning each delivery; reconcile top‑down and bottom‑up forecasts before passing receipts to the merchant organization. Participate in the buy review with merchants, planners, and allocators to ensure appropriate breadth, depth, and flawless execution. Lead and facilitate the buy finalization meeting with merchants; review pre‑season plans, identify risks and opportunities, and gain consensus from management. Manage the locking process for seasonal plans; forecast seasonal and source plans to validate key metrics. Partner with merchandising and other cross‑functional teams to achieve financial goals through active business management. Proactively identify risk and opportunities in a timely manner; develop action plans to limit risk and capitalize on opportunities. Other duties as assigned. Position Requirements Office work environment with more than 40 hours per week. Minimum Requirements Education: Bachelor’s degree from a four‑year college or university preferred; an advanced degree is a plus. Experience: Four or more years in an analyst or planner role, including prior experience in the retail industry. Job‑Related Skills: Well‑developed written and verbal communication skills, the ability to present complex material in an organized and compelling manner, influence and negotiate at multiple levels, and strong problem‑solving and decision‑making abilities. Computer Skills: Proficiency in planning systems and advanced Microsoft Windows applications; strong knowledge of financial theory required. Experience with EP and MicroStrategy preferred. Equal Opportunity Statement Family Dollar is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, making all employment decisions without regard to any protected status. We are committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Location: 510 Volvo Parkway, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320 FP&A Family Dollar #J-18808-Ljbffr Family Dollar Merchandising LLC