Associate Merchandise Planner

Hot Topic; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 67,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental & Vision

Retirement plan

Employee discounts

PTO

Tuition reimbursement

On-site cafe

Fitness center

Job summary

Hot Topic HQ in the City of Industry, California, seeks an Associate Merchandise Planner for a hybrid schedule, three days on-site. You will drive inventory efficiency, analyze trends, and collaborate with buying/marketing to optimize assortment and pricing.

Ideal candidates have 1–2 years in retail planning, strong analytical skills, and Excel proficiency. This role contributes to sales performance and business growth with a data-driven approach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related field preferred.
• 1–2 years of experience in retail planning or inventory management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset.
• Proficiency in Excel and an understanding of data analysis.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Monitor sales and inventory levels to support business goals.
• Analyze product performance and customer demand to optimize assortment.
• Manage and maintain the open-to-buy process, providing recommendations to align sales, margins and inventory goals.
• Leverage KPIs such as sales, margin and sell-through to highlight opportunities and mitigate risks.
• Collaborate with buying and marketing teams on promotional strategy.
• Use analytics tools to generate insights and assist with reporting.
• Evaluate competitive retail trends and translate insights into actionable recommendations for assortment and pricing.

Skills

Analytical mindset

Excel proficiency

Data analysis

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Finance or related field

Tools

Excel

VBA/AI exposure

Job description

Hot Topic HQ - City of Industry, California - Full-time

Description

Do you have the organizational skills of Belle keeping her library in order or the strategic mind of Doctor Strange planning ten steps ahead? We are seeking a proactive and analytical Associate Merchandise Planner to play a key role in driving inventory efficiency and sales performance. This role is ideal for someone with foundational experience in planning who is ready to take the next step in their career. If you have the determination of T’Challa leading Wakanda, the problem-solving skills of Peter Parker balancing life and responsibility, and the drive of Mulan proving her worth, then this is the opportunity for you! You'll work cross-functionally to optimize stock levels, analyze trends, and contribute to business growth.

This role operates on a hybrid schedule and will require to work from our HQ located in the City of Industry, CA, three days a week.

Pay range

$67,000 - $77,000 a year

Please note the pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but other factors such as an individual’s education, location, meeting the minimum job requirements for the role, training, and experience, will determine the final salary for potential new hires.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Monitor sales and inventory levels to support business goals.
• Analyze product performance and customer demand to optimize assortment.
• Manage and maintain the open-to-buy process, providing recommendations to ensure alignment of sales, margin, and inventory goals.
• Leverage KPIs such as sales, margin, and sell-through to proactively highlight opportunities, mitigate risks, and influence proper inventory levels.
• Work closely with buying and marketing teams when planning promotional strategy.
• Use analytics tools to generate insights and assist with reporting.
• Evaluate competitive retail trends and translate insights into actionable recommendations for assortment and pricing strategies.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related field preferred.
• 1-2 years of experience in retail planning or inventory management.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset.
• Proficiency in Excel and an understanding of data analysis.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
• VBA and/or AI experience is a plus but not required.

This is what we do to be successful and how we do it.

Since our first store opening in 1989, we've been leading the way in bringing music and pop culture to the masses. We're now at over 600 stores and counting across the U.S. and Canada. Working at our stores means you're taking a huge part in delivering the fandom.

All the (not so) small things

Benefits are a big deal, and we've got you covered. Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement and so much more. Add in employee discounts, PTO, and tuition reimbursement and you're walking away flashing some bling.

Our HQ is based in the City of Industry, CA in a newly designed, converted warehouse space. We have an open, collaborative work environment (no iron gates. Well...maybe :) with some sweet perks: on-site cafe, fitness center, chiropractor, & masseuse.

We have superpowers. Being invisible isn't one of them.

Come see what's under our cape - check us out on LinkedIn.