Merchandise Planner - US Company

Position Overview:

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for developing and executing merchandise plans that optimize sales, inventory, and profitability across retail and wholesale channels. This role partners closely with Merchandising, Retail Operations, Marketing, and Finance to translate business strategies into inventory and assortment plans, ensuring the right products are available at the right place and the right time. The ideal candidate combines strong analytical skills with commercial acumen to drive informed planning decisions, improve inventory productivity, and support sustainable business growth.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Merchandising Planning & Inventory Optimization:

• Assortment & OTB: Assist in developing seasonal assortment plans and Open-to-Buy (OTB) structures aligned with financial targets.
• Order & Launch Management: Oversee end-to-end order tracking and maintain the master product launch calendar across online and offline channels.
• Commercial Strategy: Partner monthly with stakeholders to align sales targets and design responsive promotional/markdown plans to drive sell-through.
• Inventory Control: Monitor stock levels to optimize Weeks of Supply (WOS), manage inventory health, and minimize aging stock.
• HQ Alignment: Collaborate with Global/Regional HQ to ensure seasonal assortment and OTB plans are submitted on time.

2. Retail Merchandise Planning:

• Store Assortment & Capacity: Build and maintain product assortment plans optimized for store physical capacity and local customer profiles.
• Performance Reporting: Analyze weekly sales and inventory data to identify top-performing styles, slow movers, and emerging category trends.
• Allocation & Replenishment: Manage new product intake and execute timely stock replenishment from the JDL warehouse to the sales floor.

3. Wholesale Planning & Business Support:

• Goal Setting: Partner with the wholesale team monthly to establish realistic targets and proactively adjust sales projections based on business performance.
• Sales Enablement: Regularly provide inventory availability reports and product insights to support client negotiations and order placements.
• Performance Tracking: Maintain the monthly wholesale target tracker to ensure high visibility on budget pacing and order status.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, or related field
• 3–7+ years of experience in retail merchandising, buying, or planning (sportswear/fashion preferred)
• Strong experience in OTB planning, allocation, and in-season trading
• Solid understanding of store operations and retail performance drivers
• Advanced Excel skills; experience with merchandising/planning systems is a plus
• Experience in multi-store retail environments preferred

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and commercial mindset
• Ability to translate data into actionable merchandising decisions
• Strong collaboration with retail, VM, and marketing teams
• Detail-oriented with strong execution capability
• Ability to manage multiple stores, categories, and timelines
• Willingness to travel for store visits
• Passion for sports and retail