Category Planning Manager

Stio®; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental

Vision plan

401(k) with match

Generous PTO

Disability insurance

Employee assistance

Job summary

Stio® is seeking a Category Planning Manager in Denver to develop strategic style-level plans that maximize sales, optimize inventory and improve margins.

You will own pre-season purchasing and in-season inventory management, collaborating with cross-functional partners to align with financial targets and channel goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, engineering, economics, operations management, or equivalent.
• 4+ years of planning, finance, or supply chain analysis.
• Clear understanding of financial metrics including sales, gross margin, return rate, months on hand, sell-through, turn rate.
• Advanced Excel skills: pivot tables, charts, VLOOKUP, etc.
• Experience with planning software; Toolio preferred.
• Strong problem-solving and curiosity to improve processes.
• Excellent communication and detail orientation.

Responsibilities

• Develop pre-season, item-level sales and inventory plans aligned with historical performance and targets.
• Re-forecast item-level plans in season; identify risks or opportunities and align with forecast goals.
• Recap and analyze monthly actuals; present key takeaways to cross-functional team.
• Prepare decks and present category strategies in OTB meetings.
• Partner with Product on line creation and provide analytics to hit KPIs.
• Build and execute style, color, size purchasing for all channels.
• Develop pricing and markdown strategies to maximize sales and margin; coordinate with Inventory Planner.
• Manage inventory availability across channels; coordinate with marketing and channel owners.
• Maintain SKU Master including new SKU creation and lifecycle management.
• Look for ways to continuously improve processes, tools and meetings.
• Actively partner cross-functionally to drive business goals and values.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical skills

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree (finance/business/engineering/economics)

Tools

Toolio

Job description

Stio® is an omni‑channel mountain brand that designs, develops and sells beautiful, functional, and innovative apparel, footwear and other accessories infused with the soul of the mountain lifestyle. With headquarters in Jackson, Wyoming, Stio draws inspiration from the surrounding Teton Range and offers product via Stio.com, catalog, B2B and its Mountain Studio® retail locations. We live and love mountain life, and as such see ourselves as caretakers of the resources that provide it. We are proud partners of Protect Our Winters and the Conservation Alliance among many other organizations. We have a strong preferred materials platform, use Bluesign® approved textiles wherever possible, audit our supply chains for best practices, and operate our workplaces responsibly. We think that outside is the best side and that you can't improve on nature. It's good for mind, body and soul, and it's our responsibility to help enable access for all people, regardless of race, gender, beliefs, background or ability. We strive for inclusion at Stio and in our local and national communities.

YOUR ROLE

The Category Planning Manager (CPM) will develop and communicate strategic style‑level plans to maximize sales, optimize inventory and increase margin. They will use historical sales trends, current in‑season selling to build their plans along with collaboration with key cross‑functional partners. The CPM will own pre‑season purchasing and in‑season inventory management for their categories. The Category Planning Manager reports to the Director of Inventory Planning.

Your Responsibilities

• Develop and drive pre‑season, item‑level sales and inventory plans that align with historical performance, merchandising strategies and financial targets
• Re‑forecast item level plans in season and perform ad hoc analysis to identify inventory risks or opportunities. Ensure alignment with tops‑down, monthly forecast and channel level goals
• Recap and analyze monthly actuals to plan and LY. Present key takeaways and recommended action plans monthly to cross‑functional team
• Prepare the deck and present category strategies in OTB meetings
• Partner with Product on line creation and provide analytics as needed to ensure seasonal line will hit financial and KPI targets
• Build and execute style, color, size purchasing for categories to support all channels
• Develop pricing and markdown strategies to maximize sales and margin, while meeting sell‑through targets. Partner with Inventory Planner to execute
• Manage inventory availability across sales channels for their categories. Coordinate with marketing and channel owners for inventory optimisation
• Maintain SKU Master including new SKU creation and lifecycle management
• Look for ways to continuously improve current processes, tools and meetings
• Actively partner cross‑functionally to drive shared business goals and key outcomes
• Commitment to our company Mission, Vision, and Values

Your Skills And Experience

• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, engineering, economics, operations management, or equivalent
• 4+ years of experience in planning, finance, or supply chain analysis
• Possess a clear understanding of financial measurements including sales, gross margin, return rate, months on hand, sell‑through, turn rate, and how to positively impact these metrics
• Excellent analytical skills and the ability to translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations and processes
• Excellent computer skills, including advanced Excel (pivot tables, charts, logical functions (sumif, vlookup, etc.))
• Experience with planning software is required; Toolio preferred
• Strong critical thinking and problem‑solving skills along with curiosity to continually drive for results and process improvement
• Must be dependable, team player, organized, self‑motivated and detail oriented
• High energy and results oriented. Looking to make improvements and change
• Willingness and ability to take on a wide array of ad‑hoc reporting and analysis requests
• Proven ability to prioritize and focus to deliver timely work
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal abilities

THE FINE PRINT

• Must be able to work in a stationary position 75% of the work day
• Medical, Dental Vision plans
• Company Paid Long Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Programs
• 401(k) with match
• Generous paid time off policies
• Gear test, perks and more

We provide competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives and benefits. The base salary range for this role is $70,000-$85,000. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of the range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors including experience, skills, and qualifications. This job description is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, we reserve the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed. Stio is an equal opportunity employer of all qualified individuals, including minorities, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, veterans & individuals with disabilities.