AI-Driven Retail Merchandising & Planning Lead

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Retail Merchandising and Planning – Strategy Manager We Are Accenture's Retail Merchandising and Planning practice helps the world's leading retailers reinvent how they buy, plan, allocate, and manage product across the value chain. We work at the intersection of merchandising strategy, planning process design, and AI-enabled decision making, helping clients across apparel, hardlines, grocery, and specialty retail modernize their operating models and improve performance in demand forecasting, assortment planning, and inventory productivity. You Are A retail merchandising and planning professional who combines solid functional expertise with strong project leadership. You've spent your career close to the buy, whether in category management, merchandise financial planning, assortment, allocation, replenishment, or demand/supply planning, and you understand how these functions connect end-to-end. You translate that expertise into operating model recommendations, process improvements, and capability roadmaps clients can execute against. You are accountable to realizing value, and you have experience rolling up your sleeves to ensure high adoption of new processes and systems. You're equally comfortable leading a workstream, developing junior team members, and engaging with client stakeholders day to day. The Work As a Manager, you will lead key workstreams and projects within larger transformation engagements for retail clients, working closely with client stakeholders and Accenture leadership to shape recommendations, drive execution, and activate results. Engagement Leadership Lead a workstream or project within a broader transformation program Coordinate delivery within your workstream, partnering with adjacent process, data/technology, and change management teams as needed Maintain day-to-day client relationships within your scope and escalate issues to engagement leadership as needed Ensure workstream quality and timeliness Merchandising & Planning Transformation Support assessments of current-state merchandising, planning, and inventory management capabilities against industry-leading practices Contribute to future-state operating model design spanning category management, merchandise financial planning, assortment planning, allocation, replenishment, demand planning, and supply planning Develop components of capability strategies, transformation roadmaps, and value cases that quantify the impact of change Apply sub-industry nuance across apparel, hardlines, and/or grocery to tailor recommendations to client-specific dynamics AI & Technology Enablement Bring current knowledge of AI, analytics, and emerging planning technologies to identify where they can solve merchandising and planning business problems Support clients in evaluating planning platforms and AI-enabled decision-making tools as part of broader transformation Contribute to the design and delivery of GenAI- and agentic-enabled planning capabilities where applicable to client roadmaps Business Development & Practice Growth Contribute to proposal development, solutioning, and the broader business development cycle for consulting engagements Support the growth of the Retail Merchandising and Planning practice through asset development and community engagement Coach, mentor, and develop junior team members Basic Qualifications: 5 years of relevant professional experience with demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following domains: Category Management, Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP), Assortment Planning, Allocation, Replenishment, Demand Planning, or Supply Planning Minimum of 2 years of experience in professional services at a consulting firm (or equivalent internal consulting experience) Bachelor's degree Preferred Qualifications: Ability to lead large, transformational programs with multiple workstreams and stakeholders Strong client management skills, including with senior stakeholders Ability to coach, mentor, and develop junior team members Excellent written and verbal communication skills Strong problem-solving ability and sound business judgment Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving situations Ability to resolve issues and manage risk proactively Ability to manage and prioritize multiple workstreams in a dynamic environment Familiarity with the operational nuances of one or more retail sub-industries, including apparel, hardlines, or grocery Experience designing or supporting operating model design, process reinvention, capability assessments, roadmaps, and value case development Experience solutioning approaches to client problems and supporting the business development/proposal cycle Working knowledge of current trends in technology, analytics, and AI, and how they apply to merchandising and planning business problems Prior industry experience in Buying, Planning, or Product Development Hands-on experience leveraging AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini in a professional environment Familiarity with leading planning platforms such as o9, Blue Yonder, Anaplan, Oracle, or RELEX MBA or equivalent advanced degree Compensation at Accenture varies depending on a wide array of factors, which may include but are not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. As required by local law, Accenture provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired as set forth below. We anticipate this job posting will be posted until 08/29/2026. Accenture offers a market competitive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability coverage, a 401(k) plan, bonus opportunities, paid holidays, and paid time off. See more information on our benefits here: U.S. Employee Benefits | Accenture Role Location Annual Salary Range California $87,400 to $253,000 Cleveland $87,400 to $253,000 Colorado $87,400 to $253,000 District of Columbia $87,400 to $253,000 Illinois $87,400 to $253,000 Maine $87,400 to $253,000 Maryland $87,400 to $253,000 Massachusetts $87,400 to $253,000 Minnesota $87,400 to $253,000 New York $87,400 to $253,000 New Jersey $87,400 to $253,000 Virginia $87,400 to $253,000 Washington $87,400 to $253,000 Requesting an Accommodation Accenture is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Accenture and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. 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