Assistant Planner: Data-Driven Retail Growth

jcrew; New York (NY); On-site; USD 35,000 - 41,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Well-being

Associate Discount

Summer Fridays

Community Impact

Winter Break

Job summary

As an Assistant Planner, you’ll support your manager in developing financial plans balancing sales, margin, and inventory goals. Leverage data to understand performance, identify opportunities, and make recommendations to strengthen results.

This role blends analytical curiosity, collaboration, and strategic thinking to bring product and financial strategies to life. Responsibilities span preseason planning of sales, margin, and inventory by department and style, plus in-season recaps,

Qualifications

• 0–2 years of experience, recent college grad with internship experience or retail store experience preferred.
• Strong analytical and financial skills, with proficiency in Excel and retail math.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation abilities.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Curious, proactive, and detail-oriented in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative team player eager to learn and grow within Planning.

Responsibilities

• Preseason: Support the creation of preseason sales, margin, and inventory plans by department, class, and style.
• Preseason: Analyze historical and current business trends to identify key learnings, risks, and growth opportunities.
• Preseason: Summarize key financial metrics — such as markup, margin rate, and average unit cost — to inform planning assumptions.
• Preseason: Partner with manager to align on seasonal investment strategy and product flow recommendations.
• Preseason: Collaborate with cross-functional partners to prepare financial presentations for line reviews and buy meetings.
• In Season: Provide weekly and monthly business recaps that highlight performance trends and variances to forecast.
• In Season: Update and reforecast sales, margin, and inventory plans based on current results and market shifts.
• In Season: Partner with manager and cross-functional teams to identify in-season opportunities and risks, proposing actions such as receipt reflows, pricing adjustments, or markdowns.
• In Season: Participate in OTB meetings and inventory reviews, ensuring alignment with departmental goals.
• In Season: Maintain accuracy of all reports and tools to support data-driven decision-making.

Skills

Analytical skills

Financial skills

Excel

Retail math

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Merchandising, or related field

Tools

Excel

Job description

As an Assistant Planner, you’ll support your manager in developing financial plans balancing sales, margin, and inventory goals. Leverage data to understand performance, identify opportunities, and make recommendations to strengthen results.

This role blends analytical curiosity, collaboration, and strategic thinking to bring product and financial strategies to life. Responsibilities span preseason planning of sales, margin, and inventory by department and style, plus in-season recaps,