Hybrid Merchandise Planner — Inventory & Analytics

Hot Topic; California (MO); On-site; 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 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.