Merchandise Planner

Skechers USA Retail, LLC; Manhattan Beach (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Skechers USA Retail, LLC is seeking a Merchandise Planner to develop and execute top-down and bottom-up merchandise plans, manage Open-to-Buy, and optimize sales and inventory across brand lines. The role requires strong numerical skills, retail math expertise, and experience in financial planning and analysis.

Responsibilities include leading OTB meetings, forecasting, and coordinating with merchandising teams to ensure targets are met while maintaining optimal inventory levels.

Qualifications

• Strong numerical aptitude and retail math understanding.
• Experience with SKU-level and category-level planning.
• Proficient in Excel with advanced functions (VLOOKUP, Pivot Tables).

Responsibilities

• Create and manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans at brand level monthly, quarterly, and annually.
• Communicate OTB plans to merchandising teams and assess inventory risks.
• Ensure receipt plans align with write schedule and participate in seasonal forecasts.
• Reforecast sales monthly and report results and issues to management.
• Analyze trends and forecast sales to identify risks and opportunities in inventory.

Skills

Retail math

SKU planning

Financial metrics

Data analysis

Excel proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred or equivalent experience

Tools

Excel

Job description

WHO WE ARE

Headquartered in Southern California, Skechers—the Comfort Technology Company®—has spent over 30 years helping men, women, and kids everywhere look and feel good. Comfort innovation is at the core of everything we do, driving the development of stylish, high-quality products at a great value. From our diverse footwear collections to our expanding range of apparel and accessories, Skechers is a complete lifestyle brand.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for successful development and execution of top-down and bottom-up merchandise plans that support company objectives and goals. This includes pre-season planning and in-season Open-to-Buy management. They will monitor receipt flow and sales performance to provide analysis and action plans to optimize sales and inventory.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Create and manage OTB’s at the brand level and ensure that the merchandise targets will be met on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
• Communicate with the merchandising team the OTB plan and assess any inventory risks.
• Ensure the receipt plans are filled according to the write schedule.
• Participate in weekly/monthly in-season forecast and OTB meetings.
• Reforecast sales monthly and communicate results and critical issues to the manager.
• Develop an action plan to increase or decrease inventory as needed to reconcile the OTB.
• Provide seasonal plans by gender/brand/sub-class pre- season. Included are category, style, color, type and material.
• Ensure the purchases meet the plan.
• Drive sales by analyzing trends, forecasting sales and reviewing inventory position; identify risks and opportunities in sales and inventory; provide action plans on a weekly basis.
• Partner with merchandisers to actively manage the lifecycle and flow of inventory.
• Develop exit strategies and transition strategies for major product platforms; provide guidance on cancelations, markdown needs, and in-store inventory plans.
• Lead monthly OTB meetings with cross functional partners.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

Strong aptitude for numbers and clear understanding of retail math. Proficiency in using financial metrics and reports to measure the performance of the business. Understand how decisions impact financial results. Experience in SKU level and category level planning, financial planning process and report/modeling building. Strong analytical skills with the ability to compile and analyze large sets of data. Strong organizational skills – ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize, and meet deadlines. Ability to communicate persuasively, influentially, and responsibly across a cross-functional team. Excels in team environments and in building/developing strong interpersonal relationships, while maintaining an individual determination to accomplish goals. Passionate about customer service. Driven to excel and succeed, taking full ownership of his or her success. Ability to travel 0-10% of time.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum of 2 years of merchandise planning, inventory management, buying or finance in a retail environment- preferably Footwear Bachelor’s Degree preferred or equivalent experience Proficient in Excel (includes v-look ups and pivot tables)

The pay range for this role is $90,000-$110,000/yr USD.

About Skechers

Skechers, a global Fortune 500® company, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel, and accessories. Serving over 180 countries and territories, Skechers connects customers to products through department and specialty stores, e-commerce and digital stores, and through our more than 5,300 Skechers retail locations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Skechers is committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful work environment. Skechers provides equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment without regard race, color, religion, gender, gender identification and expression, national origin, marital status, age, disability, genetic information, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic established by local, state or federal law.

Reasonable Accommodation

Applicants for employment who require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job should request appropriate accommodation by emailing [e-mail].

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each job responsibility satisfactorily.

The skills, abilities and physical demands described are representative of those duties that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities, who are otherwise qualified for the job position, to perform the essential functions.

Join our team of innovators, creators, and designers. Skechers, the global leader in comfort technologies, brings together employees from around the globe to deliver stylish products for people of all ages. Our employees are passionate about more than just the products we design, employees – we value community involvement and give back to local communities through a variety of initiatives including Skechers Foundation and Bobs for Dogs. Learn more about who Skechers supports local communities around the world. Stay up to date on our brand, job openings, community involvement, and more via LinkedIn.

Skechers, a global Fortune 500® company

Skechers, a global Fortune 500® company, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel, and accessories. Serving over 180 countries and territories, Skechers connects customers to products through department and specialty stores, e-commerce and digital stores, and through our more than 5,300 Skechers retail locations.

From footwear to apparel and accessories, Skechers has a product for you and your family. Learn more about our many product offerings here.