Merchandise Planner

Merchandise Planner WORK LOCATION DETAILS Work Location: Home Office - Coppell, TX Work Schedule: Hybrid Onsite: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays Work from Home: Mondays, Fridays Job Summary Planners are responsible for the overall financial direction of a category or department(s) with the goal of meeting/exceeding sales, margin and turn targets. Planners are primarily responsible for developing seasonal merchandise financial plans, developing, and managing the allocation strategy, and supporting the Buyer with a department(s) open to buy. Planners also work with Buyers in assortment and buy planning by facilitating layering of assortments and validating the integrity of initial allocation volumes. In-season, Planners provide in-depth analysis of product performance and make recommendations to maximize business opportunities. Key Roles and Responsibilities Manage the financial success of a department by meeting sales, gross margin and inventory turn goals. Develop pre-season merchandise financial plans to the classification level that support department strategies Reconcile merchandise plans against top-side goals and assortment plans Analyze historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities by department and class. Provide analytical inputs to support the Buyer in merchandise strategy planning, assortment planning and buy planning processes Collaborate with merchandising to develop and communicate a comprehensive strategy that aligns future financial and product opportunities by department and class. Recap and analyze actual sales results to plan, forecasts in-season sales and inventories on a weekly/monthly/quarterly basis Develop monthly forecasts of sales and inventory for all basic styles and develop strategies to meet department financial goals. Lead Open-to-Buy Process; present financial forecast and supporting action plans in monthly open-to-buy forecast meeting Communicate financial results, forecasts, and action plans to manager and buying team on a weekly basis. Provide pricing and promotional recommendations that align with department financial goals Present financial plans, forecasts, and strategies in key meetings Support a collaborative, innovative and results-oriented environment with peers and cross-functional team. Develop Key Item plans and provide analytics required for planning and managing key items in-season Oversee the development of allocations by store and replenishment analysis/forecasting Oversee style/SKU count analysis Build a high-functioning planning team by developing partnerships, leading, coaching and providing constructive feedback Develop and maintain effective working relationships with members of cross-functional team Prioritize and set expectations around key deliverables with direct reports and buying team Oversee store clustering process and provide location recommendations regarding product placement and maximization of trend performance Partners with buyer on development of reinventions, visual initiatives, and collaborations Assist the buy process by performing planning functions within the assortment planning/item planning tool Manage and develop direct report