Associate Planning Manager

New Balance Athletics, Inc.; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401K

Lifestyle reimbursement

Vacation time

Holiday pay

Parental leave

Mentorship programs

Tuition reimbursement

Employee discount

Job summary

New Balance Athletics, Inc. is seeking a strategic Associate Planning Manager to lead wholesale customer and channel planning across North America.

You will coordinate with Commercial Leaders, Merchandising, Operations, and Finance to build long-range plans, evaluate sell-in and sell-through, and translate insights into actionable strategies that protect retail productivity and fuel profitable growth. You will partner with Sales, Marketing and Product teams to optimize inventory health, test new

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of sales planning, analytics, operations and/or category management experience.
• Strong understanding of retail metrics and ability to translate data to business actions.
• Proven ability to lead, influence, and communicate with senior leadership.
• Self-starter who can work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to synthesize data for demand-driven reporting.
• Strong interpersonal skills and teamwork in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced Excel and data visualization tool experience.

Responsibilities

• Direct planning for assigned wholesale customers and channels across all product lines, aligning with regional goals.
• Create and evolve long-range wholesale plans with Commercial Leaders.
• Lead sell-in and sell-through analysis and drive timely decisions across the Commercial Pod.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Sales, Finance, Operations, Marketing and Product to support profitable growth.
• Partner with Sales Leads on allocation strategy and growth opportunities.
• Lead business reviews and highlight key actions and recommendations.
• Build relationships with wholesale partners to influence account plans and execution.
• Analyze performance trends by price, location, color, and model to inform decisions.

Skills

Leadership & Communication

Strategic thinking

Data-driven decision making

Multi-tasking

Excel proficiency

Data visualization (Spotfire/Tableau)

Tools

Excel

Spotfire

Tableau

Job description

Who We Are:

Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.

JOB MISSION:

Lead wholesale customer and channel planning across all product lines for the North America region for a Sales Channel, balancing the health of the retail business with regional merchandising intent, inventory priorities, and brand objectives. This role is a critical connector across the Commercial Pod, partnering closely with Commercial Leadership, Merchandising, Operations, and Finance to create and manage customer long-range plans, analyze sell-in and sell-through performance, and translate insights into clear business decisions. As the planning subject matter expert for assigned wholesale customers/channels, this role drives strategies that support profitable growth, inventory health, and a stronger marketplace position.

ROLE IMPACT:

This role is essential to building a disciplined, connected, and commercially viable wholesale planning process that links customer strategy, product intent, inventory health, and financial outcomes. By translating account and marketplace insights into clear actions, the Associate Planning Manager helps protect retail productivity, unlock growth opportunities, and ensure wholesale plans support both near‑term business performance and long‑term brand strength.

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

• Direct planning for assigned wholesale customers and channels across all product lines, ensuring account plans ladder to regional goals, merchandising intent, and commercial growth priorities.
• Create, maintain, and evolve wholesale customer long-range plans in partnership with Commercial Leaders, translating financial targets, marketplace trends, and product strategies into actionable plans.
• Lead sell‑in and sell‑through analysis to assess performance against plan, identify risks and opportunities, and drive timely decision‑making across the Commercial Pod.
• Partner with Commercial Leadership to balance retail health, inventory productivity, and growth goals, ensuring plans support both near‑term execution and long‑term brand objectives.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Sales, Finance, Operations, Marketing and Product teams to design and execute strategies that support profitable growth, inventory health, and consumer demand.
• Partner with Sales Leads and Merchandising on allocation strategy, customer capacity, product mix, and growth opportunities within assigned channels/accounts.
• Lead business reviews covering forecast, allocation, sell‑in, sell‑through velocity, inventory position, and performance versus plan; elevate key actions and recommendations.
• Build strong relationships with key internal stakeholders and wholesale partners to influence account plans, improve execution, and strengthen planning discipline.
• Analyze consumer and account‑level performance trends, including price, segmentation, color, width, location, and model/style results, to inform future product and marketplace decisions.
• Provide insights and recommendations that influence buyer/planner choices, directed assortments, and decisions on where to test, expand, or course‑correct.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS

• 5-7 years of sales planning, analytics, operations and/or category management experience. Previous experience in athletic industry or consumer product goods will be an advantage
• Excellent understanding of retail metrics and ability to interpret and action data to positively impact business
• Proven ability to lead, effectively communicate and influence business partners, including senior leadership
• Self‑starter that takes initiative to start and complete assignments without direct supervision
• Capacity to think strategically, synthesize complex data and develop creative and innovative solutions
• Ability to gather data from multiple sources and manipulate the data to develop demand‑driven and action‑based reporting and analysis
• Good people acumen and interpersonal skills; demonstrated collaborative orientation in team environment and a very high level of personal efficiency
• Strong multi‑tasking skills, attention to detail, and ability to work well under pressure
• Power user of Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel; Spotfire (or Tableau) experience also preferred

Boston, MA Headquarters - (NB) Only Pay Range: $82,000.00 - $105,800.00 - $129,600.00 Annual (actual base pay varying based upon, but not limited to, relevant experience, time in role, internal equity, geographic location, and more.)

Regular Associate Benefits

Our products are only as good as the people we hire, so we make sure to hire the best and treat them accordingly. New Balance offers a comprehensive traditional benefits package including three options for medical insurance as well as dental, vision, life insurance and 401K. We also proudly offer a slate of more nontraditional perks - opportunities like online learning and development courses, tuition reimbursement, $100 monthly student loan support and various mentorship programs - that encourage our associates to grow personally as they develop professionally. You'll also enjoy a yearly $1,000 lifestyle reimbursement, 4 weeks of vacations, 12 holidays and generous parental leave, because work‑life balance is more than just a buzzword - it's part of our culture.

Temporary associates are provided three options for medical insurance as well as dental and vision insurance and an associate discount.

Part time associates are provided 401k, short term disability, a yearly $300 lifestyle reimbursement and an associate discount.

Flexible Work Schedule

For decades we have fostered a unique culture founded on our values with a particular focus on in‑person teamwork and collaboration. Our North American hybrid model encourages rich in‑person experiences, showcasing our commitment to teamwork and connection, while maintaining flexibility for associates. New Balance Associates currently work in office three days per week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday). Our offices are fully open, and amenities are available across our North American office locations. To continue our focus on hybrid work we have introduced "Work from Anywhere" (WFA) for four weeks per calendar year. This model will help us enhance our culture while continuing to maintain elements of flexibility.

Equal Opportunity Employer

New Balance provides equal opportunities for all current and prospective associates to ensure that employment, training, compensation, transfer, promotion and other terms, conditions and privileges of employment are provided without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, handicap, genetic information and/or status as an Armed Forces service medal veteran, recently separated veteran, qualified disabled veteran or other protected veteran, or any other protected status.