Assistant Merchandise Planner

Macy's; New York (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Assistant Merchandise Planner role at Macy's supports the Merchandise Planning and Inventory Management team to drive sales, margin, turnover, and growth. You will collaborate across functions, own business outcomes, and help execute strategies to meet financial targets.

You will analyze sales and stock trends for forecasting, develop assortment plans, monitor inventory levels and sell-through, and partner with Merchants to align channel plans with strategic objectives and promotional

Qualifications

• Strong business acumen to understand sales processes and financial metrics for optimization.
• Merchandising knowledge of retail principles, trends, customer preferences, and inventory management.
• Data analysis proficiency to derive insights from market, customer, and financial data for assortment planning.
• Excellent collaboration with cross-functional teams to align assortment plans with objectives.
• Decisive decision making using in-season performance and market trends.
• Ownership mentality with proactive drive to improve outcomes independently.
• Results orientation with track record of boosting sales, margin, and turnover.
• Clear and effective communication, both verbal and written, to stakeholders.
• MS Office proficiency, especially Excel, for data analysis and reporting.
• Adaptability to evolving retail landscape and market conditions.
• Basic financial literacy for sales targets, margins, and turnover.

Responsibilities

• Monitor inventory levels and sell-through rates to optimize stock and reduce excess inventory.
• Generate and maintain reports on sales performance, inventory metrics, and KPIs.
• Develop assortment plans aligned with business and promotional strategies.
• Collaborate with Merchants to ensure channel plans support financial objectives.
• Adjust assortment plans across channels as trends evolve during the season.
• Analyze in-season product performance by channel, class, and marketing impact.
• Evaluate assortment effectiveness and respond to business opportunities.
• Monitor vendor performance and advise on profitability improvements.
• Foster an environment of respect and authentic connections with colleagues, customers, and communities.

Skills

Business acumen

Merchandising knowledge

Data analysis

Collaboration

Decision making

Ownership mentality

Results orientation

Communication skills

MS Office proficiency

Adaptability

Financial literacy

Tools

MS Excel

Job description

The Assistant Merchandise Planner supports the Merchandise Planning and Inventory Management team in driving sales, margin, turnover, and growth. Collaboration, taking ownership of business outcomes, and achieving results are fundamental requirements for this role. They will assist in developing and executing merchandise strategies to achieve financial targets. They are responsible for analyzing sales and stock trends for forecasting, developing assortment strategies and monitoring inventory levels and sell- through rates.

What You Will Do

• Monitor inventory levels and sell-through rates, identifying risks and opportunities to optimize stock levels and minimize excess inventory.
• Generate and maintain regular reports on sales performance, inventory metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress against targets.
• Contribute to developing assortment plans aligned with overall business and promotional strategies.
• Collaborate with Merchants to ensure channel plans support strategic and financial objectives.
• Adjust assortment plans across channels as trends evolve within the season, making decisions on breadth and depth changes.
• Analyze in-season product performance, focusing on channel demand, class/category performance, style performance, and major marketing impact.
• Evaluate assortment effectiveness by channel and respond to business opportunities accordingly.
• Monitor vendor performance and provide recommendations to Merchandise Planner to optimize profitability.
• Foster an environment of acceptance and respect that strengthens relationships, and ensures authentic connections with colleagues, customers, and communities.

Skills You Will Need

Business Acumen: Demonstrated ability to understand business dynamics, sales processes, and financial metrics to drive assortment optimization and maximize profitability.

Merchandising Knowledge: Deep understanding of retail merchandising principles, including market trends, customer preferences, and inventory management.

Data Analysis: Proficiency in analyzing market, customer, and financial data to develop effective assortment plans and make informed decisions.

Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including Merchants and Vendors, to align assortment plans with strategic objectives.

Decision Making: Ability to make timely and strategic decisions regarding assortment adjustments based on in-season product performance and market trends.

Ownership Mentality: Proactive mindset with a focus on taking ownership of business outcomes and driving initiatives forward independently.

Results Orientation: Track record of achieving measurable results in driving sales, margin, turnover, and growth through assortment optimization strategies.

Communication Skills: Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, to convey assortment plans, recommendations, and performance analysis to stakeholders.

MS Office Proficiency: Proficient in MS Office Suite, particularly Excel, for data analysis, reporting, and presentation purposes.

Adaptability: Ability to adapt to changes in the retail landscape and adjust assortment plans accordingly to meet evolving market demands.

Financial Literacy: Basic understanding of financial performance metrics relevant to assortment planning, such as sales targets, margin goals, and inventory turnover ratios.