Hybrid Inventory & Forecasting Planner – Remote Fridays

Crate & Barrel; Northbrook (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Crate & Barrel in Northbrook, IL seeks an Associate Planner to steer inventory strategy and financial forecasts for a key product category, aligning with the Merchandising team and Divisional Planning to drive profitable sales growth while satisfying customer demand.

The role is on-site in Northbrook with the flexibility to work remotely on Fridays, supporting pre-season planning, budgeting, and ongoing stock optimization to maximize margins and ensure timely product availability.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in merchandising, planning/allocation, buying, or equivalent area.
• Experience with inventory management, IT systems, product pipeline process design, and promotional strategy.
• Strong financial analysis skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Manage inventory strategy for product category including new product buys, reorders and markdowns
• Develop pre-season plans in coordination with department and company targets
• Forecast sales, margins and inventory at a category level based on trends and business climate
• Lead monthly business review (OTB) to optimize sales and gross margin
• Provide business analysis to influence future purchases and assortment strategies
• Build cross-functional partnerships with Allocation, Merchandising, Sourcing, Supply Chain, and vendors
• Drive item planning and forecasting for ordering, allocation and cross-functional needs
• Foster a collaborative work environment within Merchandising focused on distinctive product and customer experience
• Manage category planning operations, including deadlines, coding, hunt paths and lead-times

Skills

Financial acumen

Data analysis

Excel

Planning tools

Job description

Crate & Barrel in Northbrook, IL seeks an Associate Planner to steer inventory strategy and financial forecasts for a key product category, aligning with the Merchandising team and Divisional Planning to drive profitable sales growth while satisfying customer demand.

The role is on-site in Northbrook with the flexibility to work remotely on Fridays, supporting pre-season planning, budgeting, and ongoing stock optimization to maximize margins and ensure timely product availability.