Merchandise Planner

ALO

$90K — $100K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 4+ years in merchandise planning or inventory management
  • Advanced excel skills and model-building acumen
  • Strong retail math skills and understanding of forecasting methodology
  • Ability to lead cross-functional discussions
  • Excellent logical analysis and problem-solving skills
  • Strong communication skills, both written and oral
  • Experience with Anaplan is a plus

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with teams to develop and communicate financial plans for international markets
  • Provide analytical insights to drive growth in APAC or Europe categories
  • Manage monthly financial review to identify risks and opportunities
  • Analyze actual sales results and forecast in-season sales and inventories
  • Monitor stock to support key programs and delivery launches
  • Create pre-season financial plans that align with company goals
  • Lead enhancements to current processes and procedures

Benefits

  • Progressive benefits package including performance bonuses and long-term incentives
  • Comprehensive PTO policy
  • Opportunity to influence and lead change in a collaborative environment
  • Involvement in a mission-driven company with a focus on customer experience
Full Job Description
OVERVIEW

We are looking for an analytical and fashion-savvy Merchandise Planner to drive sales and maximize profitability through strategic inventory and financial planning. In this role, you'll partner closely with buying, merchandising, and allocation teams to forecast demand, optimize stock levels, and align product strategies with fashion trends and seasonal cycles.

You'll play a key role in ensuring the right products are available in the right quantities, at the right time, and in the right locations.

RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Develop and execute seasonal and long-term merchandise financial plans aligned with company goals.
  • Analyze past sales, market trends, and fashion forecasts to project demand and build assortment plans.
  • Collaborate with buyers to translate the brand vision into balanced and data-driven inventory strategies.
  • Manage in-season performance by tracking sales, markdowns, and inventory turnover; make agile adjustments as needed.
  • Create detailed OTB (Open-to-Buy) plans and monitor performance against budget.
  • Partner with allocation teams to ensure accurate product flow across channels (e-commerce, retail, wholesale).
  • Provide reporting and actionable insights to support buying decisions and inventory optimization.
  • Support markdown strategy and promotional cadence to drive margin and sell-through targets.
  • Contribute to end-of-season reviews and post-mortems for future planning improvements.


REQUIREMENTS
  • Bachelor's degree in Economics, Business, Finance, or a related field.
  • 2-4 years of experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, or retail planning (fashion industry preferred).
  • Strong understanding of retail dynamics including seasonal cycles, trend forecasting, and assortment planning.
  • Advanced Excel skills; experience with retail planning tools (e.g., Anaplan, JDA, Oracle, SAP, or similar).
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
  • Ability to work cross-functionally and thrive in a fast-paced, trend-driven environment.
  • Experience working with both brick-and-mortar and e-commerce channels preferred
  • Familiarity with KPIs like GMROI, turn, sell-through, and weeks of supply.
  • Background in women's or men's apparel, footwear, or accessories.

The base salary range for this position is $90,000-$100,000 per year which represents the current range for the base salary for this exempt position. Please note that actual salaries will vary based on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. As such, on occasion and when applicable, there is the possibility that the final, agreed-upon base salary may be outside of the upper end of the range. Please also note the range listed is just one component of the company's total rewards package for exempt employees. Other rewards may include performance bonuses, long term incentives, a PTO policy, and many other progressive benefits.

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