Sr. Planner, Central Planning (Hybrid- Rosemont, IL)

ob Description

Title: Sr. Planner, Central Planning
FLSA Status: Exempt

Comp Target: $120,000

Reports to: Director, Planning

Department: Planning & Allocation

Job Profile: Manager I, Planning & Allocation

Direct Reports: 1

Location: Rosemont
Date Revised: September 14, 2026

General Summary

The Senior Planner, Central Planning plays a key role in managing Claire's total-company financial planning process across sales, margin, inventory, and OTB. This role translates enterprise financial targets into actionable planning guardrails, consolidates category plans into a total-company view, and identifies risks, opportunities, and recommended actions for leadership.

As a key connection point between Finance, Category Planning, and the Director of Central Planning, this role drives cross-category alignment and owns recurring enterprise planning processes, reporting, and analysis. The Senior Planner will also help build the tools, processes, and operating cadence of a newly forming Central Planning function.

Key Responsibilities

• Function Build-Out: Help build the framework, cadence, and tools for a newly forming Central Planning function, including the seasonal planning calendar and process governance that don't yet exist today

• Monthly Plan Review (MPR): Own the mechanics of the Monthly Plan Review, consolidating category performance and forecast updates into one enterprise view each month

• Top-Down Target Setting: Translate enterprise sales, margin, and inventory targets into department and category-level guardrails each season

• Total Company OTB: Own the total company OTB roll-up; reconcile category-level plans against enterprise targets and flag gaps

• Cross-Category Reconciliation: Partner with category Planners and Senior Planners to align their plans to guardrails; escalate conflicts and trade-offs to the Director

• Enterprise Weekly Business Review: Consolidate category-level WBR inputs into one total company narrative for leadership

• Quarterly Hindsighting: Own quarterly hindsighting analysis, evaluating plan-to-actual performance across categories to inform future seasonal strategy

• Inventory Investment Strategy: Partner with Finance on inventory investment and capital allocation decisions across categories

• Oracle Merchandising Platform: Serve as the Central Planning lead on requirements, testing, and readiness for the Oracle transition

• Leadership Partnership: Act as a thought partner to the Director, Central Planning, surfacing trends, risks, and recommendations at the enterprise level.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience

• 5-7 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, or FP&A, ideally with exposure to total company or enterprise-level planning

• Deep retail math fluency (OTB, turn, sell-through, margin) and comfort reconciling plans across multiple categories

• Strong Excel and planning systems skills (Oracle experience a plus)

• Executive-ready communication skills; comfortable presenting a consolidated, enterprise-level view to senior leadership

• Highly organized and process-oriented; able to own a recurring, cross-functional cadence independently

• Curious and collaborative, energized by building a new function from the ground up

General Summary

The Senior Planner, Central Planning plays a key role in managing Claire's total-company financial planning process across sales, margin, inventory, and OTB. This role translates enterprise financial targets into actionable planning guardrails, consolidates category plans into a total-company view, and identifies risks, opportunities, and recommended actions for leadership.

As a key connection point between Finance, Category Planning, and the Director of Central Planning, this role drives cross-category alignment and owns recurring enterprise planning processes, reporting, and analysis. The Senior Planner will also help build the tools, processes, and operating cadence of a newly forming Central Planning function.

Key Responsibilities

• Function Build-Out: Help build the framework, cadence, and tools for a newly forming Central Planning function, including the seasonal planning calendar and process governance that don't yet exist today

• Monthly Plan Review (MPR): Own the mechanics of the Monthly Plan Review, consolidating category performance and forecast updates into one enterprise view each month

• Top-Down Target Setting: Translate enterprise sales, margin, and inventory targets into department and category-level guardrails each season

• Total Company OTB: Own the total company OTB roll-up; reconcile category-level plans against enterprise targets and flag gaps

• Cross-Category Reconciliation: Partner with category Planners and Senior Planners to align their plans to guardrails; escalate conflicts and trade-offs to the Director

• Enterprise Weekly Business Review: Consolidate category-level WBR inputs into one total company narrative for leadership

• Quarterly Hindsighting: Own quarterly hindsighting analysis, evaluating plan-to-actual performance across categories to inform future seasonal strategy

• Inventory Investment Strategy: Partner with Finance on inventory investment and capital allocation decisions across categories

• Oracle Merchandising Platform: Serve as the Central Planning lead on requirements, testing, and readiness for the Oracle transition

• Leadership Partnership: Act as a thought partner to the Director, Central Planning, surfacing trends, risks, and recommendations at the enterprise level.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience

• 5-7 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, or FP&A, ideally with exposure to total company or enterprise-level planning

• Deep retail math fluency (OTB, turn, sell-through, margin) and comfort reconciling plans across multiple categories

• Strong Excel and planning systems skills (Oracle experience a plus)

• Executive-ready communication skills; comfortable presenting a consolidated, enterprise-level view to senior leadership

• Highly organized and process-oriented; able to own a recurring, cross-functional cadence independently

• Curious and collaborative, energized by building a new function from the ground up