About the role
The Manager of Company Planning is responsible for driving enterprise-level financial and inventory planning strategies that support the company’s sales, margin, and profitability objectives across channels. This role partners closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to develop, manage, and continuously refine sales, gross margin, inventory, and EBITDA forecasts.
The ideal candidate is a highly analytical and strategic business partner with strong omni-channel planning expertise, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to influence decision-making across the organization. This individual must thrive in a fast-paced environment, demonstrate sound business judgment, and effectively translate an array of data into actionable insights and recommendations.
The impact you can have
- Lead the development and management of company-level financial plans, including sales, gross margin, inventory, and EBITDA forecasts across channels.
- Maintain and update in-season weekly and daily forecasts based on business trends, performance drivers, and evolving company strategies.
- Drive OTB forecasting and inventory strategies to support financial goals, balancing risk and opportunity.
- Analyze business performance to identify trends, risks, and opportunities, providing actionable recommendations to leadership.
- Partner with Merch Planning teams to align top-down financial targets with bottom-up departmental plans.
- Develop and recommend markdown, liquidation, and inventory optimization strategies to maximize profitability and improve inventory productivity.
- Monitor KPI’s and proactively identify opportunities to improve sales, margin, and operational efficiency.
- Serve as a strategic business partner across Merchandising, Finance, Marketing, Allocation, E-Commerce, Store Operations, and Supply Chain teams.
- Cross-functional collaboration to evaluate performance and drive strategic initiatives & enterprise priorities.
- Drive decision-making through data-driven insights, clear communication & thoughtful recommendations.
- Lead and contribute to cross-functional initiatives involving systems, tools, reporting enhancements, and process improvements.
- Partner with Business Process and Technology teams to identify reporting and analytical needs that improve planning effectiveness and business visibility.
- Prepare and deliver clear, concise, and impactful business presentations to senior leadership.
- Communicate financial risks, opportunities, and strategic recommendations with confidence and credibility.
- Build strong relationships across all levels of the organization through collaboration, responsiveness, business partnership; act as trusted advisor and planning subject matter expert .
- Support organizational change initiatives and help drive adoption of new tools, processes, and ways of working.
You'll bring to the role
- Bachelor’s degree required; Business, Finance, Merchandising, Econ, or a related field preferred.
- 7–10+ years of retail planning, merchandise planning, financial planning, or related analytical business experience.
- Experience supporting omni-channel or multi-channel retail businesses preferred.
- Strong understanding of retail financial metrics, inventory management, forecasting, and planning processes.
- Experience working cross-functionally in a highly collaborative environment.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to synthesize complex data into meaningful business insights.
- Excellent presentation, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences, including senior leadership.
- Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners and drive alignment without direct authority.
- Highly collaborative with strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrated sense of ownership, accountability, and urgency.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel required.
- Experience with planning and ERP systems such as JDA, Oracle, SAP, or similar platforms preferred.
- Experience with reporting and business intelligence tools preferred.
- Demonstrated curiosity and adaptability toward emerging technologies such as AI.
Benefits
- You will be eligible to receive a merchandise discount at select KnitWell Group brands, subject to each brand’s discount policies.
- Support for your individual development plus opportunities for career mobility within our family of brands.
- A culture of giving back – local volunteer opportunities, annual donation and volunteer match to eligible nonprofit organizations, and philanthropic activities to support our communities.*
- Medical, dental, vision insurance & 401(K).*
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
- Time off – paid time off & holidays.*
- The target salary range for this role is: $115,000 - $130,000
- Any job offer will consider factors such your qualifications, relevant experience, and skills. Eligibility of certain benefits and associate programs are subject to employment type and role.
- Hybrid: This position works in a hybrid model, with 4 days per week worked in our Hingham, MA office.
- Applicants to this position must be authorized to work for any employer in the US without sponsorship. We are not providing sponsorship for this position.
LI-LL1
Location:
Corporate Office-Talbots-Hingham, MA 02043
Position Type:Regular/Full time
