EJD Assortment Planner (Remote)

Ace Hardware; Oak Brook (IL); Remote; USD 72,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a skilled Assortment Planner to enhance retail strategies through data analysis and innovative store layouts. This role involves collaborating closely with retailers to optimize product placements and assortment strategies, ensuring they resonate with customer needs. With a focus on the Pro and Hardware sectors, the position offers a dynamic work environment that values creativity and teamwork. If you are passionate about retail and eager to make an impact in a field-based role, this opportunity is perfect for you. Join a company that champions values like integrity and teamwork, and be part of a culture that prioritizes employee growth and community involvement.

Benefits

401(k) retirement savings plan

Comprehensive health coverage

Flexible working arrangements

Company car and fuel card

Employee discounts

Paid volunteer time

Tuition assistance program

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Identity theft protection

Paid time off for bonding

Qualifications

• 5 years of assortment planning experience or 5-10 years in Pro and Hardware Industry.
• Strong Excel proficiency and CAD experience required.

Responsibilities

• Analyze POS data to recommend assortments and department layouts.
• Collaborate with internal teams and retailers on store designs.

Skills

Assortment Planning

Excel

CAD

Analytical Skills

Interpersonal Communication

Organizational Skills

Project Management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Power BI

Job description

The Job

The Assortment Planner is responsible for analyzing Retailer’s POS data to provide insight on the most productive departments and assortments needed for the Retailer’s customer base as well as recommending department locations and category adjacencies for new ground-up stores, remodels, relocations, expansions, and consolidations.

What you’ll do

• Create Floor Plans- Create fixture floor plan layouts, recommend department and merchandise adjacencies, and complete assortment plans for new ground-up stores, remodels, relocations, expansions, and consolidations.
• Interface directly with retailers to advise and get approval on store layout and assortment selection.
• Consultative & Collaborative Communication- Work collaboratively with internal project team to understand the local market and competition for each customer project. Proactively communicate assortment plans and development status with all project team members and stakeholders.
• Product Knowledge & Placement Expertise- Serve as a product knowledge and placement expert with deep understanding of category relevance for Pro and Hardware customers. Build and expand product and brand knowledge through partnership with the Merchandising and Sales teams and other cross-functional partners and utilization of reporting tools and resources.
• Assortment Analysis- Perform assortment analysis on customer POS data and make recommendations on custom assortment needs by leveraging all current tools and reports (Power BI and excel). Effectively communicate these assortments to the field and space planning team for documentation and seamless execution.
• Assortment Maintenance-Review, approve, and communicate all closeout and cancelled SKUs and their replacements and communicate this to the execution team. Assist with identifying replacement SKUs and additional SKU matches as needed.
• Training & Best Practices- Educate and train the Retail Execution field team and other relevant partners on floor layout best practices. Help develop core floor and merchandise plan templates. Assist with creating any other relevant assortment planning SOPs (standard operating procedures).
• Industry Trend & Research- Stay current with marketplace trends and shopper behavior, understanding how these trends impact EJD as well as our Retailers business, particularly store design/layout and category space allocation/placement.
  

What you need to succeed

• Bachelor’s Degree with 5 years of assortment planning experience or 5-10 years of experience working with hardlines in the Pro and Hardware Industry
• Hardware or Pro Lumberyard industry experience required
• Excel proficiency and experience with CAD required

• Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail
• Ability to prioritize and execute tasks in a fast-paced environment
• Strong time management skills and ability to manage multiple projects and corresponding deadlines
• Advanced analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal and written/verbal communications skills
• Collaborative approach with Retailers and cross-functional teams
• Embodies company’s values and is customer focused
• Highly creative, flexible, and adaptable with good follow-through
• Passionate about the Hardware, Pro, and Paint industry and knowledgeable about channel and industry trends

*This is a field based position and you can live anywhere throughout the US.

*You will be required to travel to visit customers, to our Corporate office in Chicagoland on occasion, and our trade shows twice a year.

#LI-AC1

Compensation Details:

$72900 - $91300

Why should you join our team?

We live our values - W.E.L.I.G.H.T (Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility, and Teamwork). Gratitude. Humility. Love. You don’t often see values like these in most corporate statements, but Ace is different. These things are important to us. They represent our commitment to the company, our employees, to Ace retailers and to the Ace brand.

In addition to providing our employees a great culture, Ace / Emery Jensen Distribution also offers competitive benefits* that address life’s necessities and perks, many of which expand and improve year after year, including:

• Incentive opportunities, based on role/grade level (rapid company growth over the past 3 years resulted in incentives being paid out above 106.6% of your target opportunity!)
• Generous 401(k) retirement savings plan with a fully vested matching contribution the first year, in addition to an annual discretionary contribution (once eligibility requirements have been met). Over the past five years, company contributions (matching & discretionary) for fully eligible employees have averaged 7.5% of total compensation.
• Comprehensive health coverage (medical, dental, vision and disability – up to 26 weeks short-term disability and long-term disability) & life insurance benefits for you and your dependents
• 21 days of vacation immediately available (prorated in the first year) and up to 6 paid holidays depending on the month of hire
• Company Car, phone and fuel card are provided for field-based positions
• Flexible working arrangements (Non-Field positions can work from home up to 2 days per week)
• Your career at Ace is more than just a job. It’s a chance to be part of something meaningful. We help locally-owned businesses thrive and make an impact in their communities – and we support our employees in doing the same by offering an annual Ace Cares Week, 20 hours off work per year to volunteer at an organization of your choice, opportunities to help Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and the Ace Helpful Fund through the Ace Foundation
• Ace invests in every employee we hire, with a key focus on development and coaching. We offer on-site classes, facilitator-led courses, and a generous tuition assistance program, plus a performance management approach that goes beyond the typical annual review
• We know the work environment matters. That’s why Ace holds frequent campus events like Employee Appreciation Week, vendor demos, cookouts, and merchandise sales
• We bring them to you! Services such as mobile spas, auto maintenance, car wash and detailing, dry cleaning, dentists, eye doctors, flu shots, recycling and more!
• Employee discounts on Ace merchandise (including top brands like Weber, Traeger, Yeti, Craftsman, DeWalt and more), travel, fitness, computers and thousands more
• Birth/Adoption bonding paid time off
• Adoption cost reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) – access to free visits to therapists and lawyers, guidance on financial matters, elder and childcare, and assistance with tickets to entertainment events
• Identity theft protection

* Benefits are provided in compliance with applicable plans and policies.

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We want to hear from you!
Emery Jensen Distribution delivers wholesale products and best-in-class service to independent retailers in the Pro Lumber Yards, Home Centers, Paint, Hardware Stores, Decorating Stores, and E-retailer space. Our goal is to support sustainable and profitable growth for our customers by offering the broadest assortments, best pricing, and most knowledgeable team. We have national scale, a regional focus and the commitment to serve our customers and support each other. Come find out why a career with Emery Jensen Distribution is right for you.

Equal Opportunity Employer
Emery Jensen Distribution is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military or veteran status, sexual orientation or any other action covered by federal or applicable state/local laws.

Disclaimer

The pay range for this position starts as listed in the job posting, but could be higher based on education and experience. Please note, compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each opening. We take into consideration the minimum requirements outlined in the job description, such as an individual’s education, training and experience, the position’s work location, required travel (if any), and external market conditions when determining the final salary for potential new hires.

Be aware that salary estimates published via alternate online job boards may not be a true representation of the actual pay range offered for this position. Please refer to the Emery Jensen Distribution position description for the accurate starting pay range information and feel free to discuss this with a Talent Acquisition professional if you are chosen to move forward with an interview.

This written “Position Description” is not intended to cover all aspects of the position listed. It is meant to cover the basic/general essential job functions of a particular position. Emery Jensen Distribution reserves the right to change job duties, including essential job functions, according to business necessity.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.