Merchandise Planner

Backcountry; Cottonwood Heights (UT); On-site; USD 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Medical/dental/vision insurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

Backcountry in Cottonwood Heights, UT is seeking a Merchandise Planner to own open-to-buy planning, demand forecasting, and inventory management across multiple product categories. You will partner with Merchandising teams to build plans, manage inventory, and deliver financial analysis that drives sales, margins, and turnover.

In six months, you will own the open-to-buy process for your divisions, build cross-functional relationships, and provide actionable recommendations that improve sales

Qualifications

• 3+ years of assortment, demand, or merchandise planning experience, including 2+ years in a retail ecommerce environment.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional aptitude for numbers and retail math.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, vlookup, or more advanced).
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to distill complex information for various audiences.
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships across cross-functional teams and influence key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated daily use of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or similar) for real work - you iterate on prompts, evaluate outputs critically, and know when AI is the right tool.
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities with the ability to organize and prioritize workload under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive merchandise plans that align with company goals, sales targets, and market trends for multiple product categories.
• Manage Open-to-Buy meetings and monthly reviews with senior leadership.
• Forecast demand using historical data, market trends, and customer insights to determine sales projections, inventory needs, and replenishment strategies.
• Monitor inventory levels, analyze sell-through rates, and recommend actions to optimize on-order quantities, maximizing sales and inventory turnover while minimizing stock-outs and overstock.
• Conduct regular financial analysis of sales performance, margin trends, and product profitability to identify opportunities and risks with actionable recommendations.
• Manage the financial success of assigned division(s) by meeting sales, margin, and inventory turn goals.
• Ensure structured reporting deliverables are met with accuracy, performance efficiency, and standardized best practices.
• Analyze business data to surface actionable insights and present findings clearly to cross-functional stakeholders.

Skills

Assortment planning

Demand forecasting

Analytical skills

Excel proficiency

Cross-functional collaboration

AI tooling usage

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

Tools

JDA

Oracle

SAP

Anaplan

Job description

Adventure is our Culture. Join a team that celebrates a lifestyle as bold as the terrain we love. At Backcountry, we are rooted in adventure, recognition, and wellbeing on and off the mountain. We spotlight employee stories, celebrate milestones, and offer exclusive outdoor perks. Whether you are at HQ, in a retail store, or remote, you will be part of a team that thrives on energy, exploration, and connection.

Reports to: Planning Manager

About the Role:

Backcountry is looking for a Merchandise Planner to own open-to-buy planning, demand forecasting, and inventory management across multiple product categories. As Merchandise Planner, you will partner closely with Merchandising teams to build comprehensive merchandise plans, manage inventory levels, and deliver financial analysis that drives sales, margin, and inventory turn goals.

In your first six months, success means owning the open-to-buy process for your division(s), building strong cross-functional relationships with merchandising partners, and delivering actionable recommendations that improve sales performance and inventory health.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

What You'll Do:

• Develop comprehensive merchandise plans that align with company goals, sales targets, and market trends for multiple product categories
• Manage Open-to-Buy meetings and monthly reviews with senior leadership
• Forecast demand using historical data, market trends, and customer insights to determine sales projections, inventory needs, and replenishment strategies
• Monitor inventory levels, analyze sell-through rates, and recommend actions to optimize on-order quantities, maximizing sales and inventory turnover while minimizing stock-outs and overstock
• Conduct regular financial analysis of sales performance, margin trends, and product profitability to identify opportunities and risks with actionable recommendations
• Manage the financial success of assigned division(s) by meeting sales, margin, and inventory turn goals
• Ensure structured reporting deliverables are met with accuracy, performance efficiency, and standardized best practices
• Analyze business data to surface actionable insights and present findings clearly to cross-functional stakeholders

Required Qualifications:

• 3+ years of assortment, demand, or merchandise planning experience, including 2+ years in a retail ecommerce environment
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional aptitude for numbers and retail math
• High proficiency with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, vlookups, or more advanced)
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to distill complex information for various audiences
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships across cross-functional teams and influence key stakeholders
• Demonstrated daily use of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or similar) for real work - you iterate on prompts, evaluate outputs critically, and know when AI is the right tool
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities with the ability to organize and prioritize workload under pressure

Preferred Qualifications:

• Softgoods planning experience
• Experience planning a mixed-brand business
• Knowledge of demand planning, allocation, and forecasting systems (e.g., JDA, Oracle, SAP, Anaplan)
• Exposure to relevant finance, analytical, and data management systems

Why Join:

• Cross-functional Impact: Your work directly shapes buying decisions, inventory strategy, and financial outcomes across multiple product categories - partnering with merchandising, finance, and operations teams.
• AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with advanced AI tools for analysis, forecasting, and automation - building a modern skill set that accelerates your career.
• Ownership from Day One: Own your division(s) end-to-end, from building the merchandise plan to presenting recommendations and managing financial outcomes.
• Competitive Benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands.

Interview Process:

• Recruiter Screen - A 45-minute conversation with our recruiting team to align on the role, your background, and what you are looking for.
• Hiring Manager Interview - Conversation with the Planning Manager focused on your merchandise planning experience, analytical approach, and cross-functional collaboration style.
• Take-Home Assignment - A short challenge to understand how you approach problems and execution in a planning context.
• In-Person Interview - We'd like to meet you at our Cottonwood Heights office. Details and logistics will be arranged with your recruiter.
• Reference Checks - Conducted in parallel with the final stages where possible.
• Offer - We move quickly for the right candidate.

Please Note:

• Part of our interview process is a mandatory in-person interview with someone on our team prior to an offer. Candidates that are unwilling or unable to meet for an in-person interview will be removed from consideration immediately.

Interview process is subject to change. Any updates will be communicated promptly and clearly.

CSC Generation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to any characteristic protected by law. If you need an accommodation during the application process, contact [email protected] .

Employment is contingent on a background check, including verification of prior employment dates.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.