Merchandise Planner [AQ-24462]

Aquent; Beaverton (OR); Presencial; USD 70.000 - 95.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Aquent is seeking a highly analytical Merchandiser Planner to shape product strategies and drive profitability. You will develop comprehensive plans that align financial goals with product opportunities, optimizing inventory and enhancing the consumer experience.

You’ll partner with merchandising and business units to deliver seasonal stock plans, forecast in-season performance, and present strategic initiatives to stakeholders.

Formación

• Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
• 3-5 years of professional experience in merchandise planning within a retail environment.
• High-intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive toward clear outcomes.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to organize information from multiple sources.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, with ability to share actionable insights.
• Talent for building strong relationships across teams.
• Comfort with planning systems and learning new software.

Responsabilidades

• Develop and communicate comprehensive stock and sales plans for each season.
• Collaborate with merchandising and business units to align financial plans with product opportunities.
• Create detailed pre-season style plans to support business goals.
• Analyze performance against plans and forecast in-season sales and inventories weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
• Develop monthly forecasts for basic and fashion styles to meet financial targets.
• Present financial plans, forecasts, and initiatives in stakeholder meetings.
• Report on business health and communicate forecasts and action plans weekly to managers.
• Support product forecasting and pricing by managing reporting tools and data insights.
• Monitor price positioning and recommend adjustments aligned with strategy.
• Construct and maintain essential planning reports and tools.
• Report on forecast variances weekly.
• Manage product lifecycles across seasons, including close-out and aging inventory.

Conocimientos

Communication

Analytical thinking

Planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Independent drive

Data interpretation

Storytelling with data

Business acumen

Educación

Bachelor's degree in business

Herramientas

Microsoft Excel

SQL

Snowflake

Tableau

PowerBI

Descripción del empleo

We are seeking a highly analytical and strategic Merchandiser Planner professional to join a vital team, where you will play a pivotal role in shaping product strategies and ensuring financial success. This is an exciting opportunity to directly influence the profitability and consumer offering of a leading global brand. You will be instrumental in developing comprehensive plans that align financial goals with product opportunities, ensuring that strategic vision translates into tangible market success. Your expertise will drive key decisions, optimize inventory, and ultimately enhance the consumer experience.

What You’ll Do

As a key member of the planning team, you will establish clear stock and sales plans that tell a compelling story for each season, guiding merchandising teams to create profitable and consumer-centric product lines. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate closely with cross‑functional partners, providing critical insights that influence business outcomes and contribute significantly to overall financial and inventory objectives.

• Develop and communicate comprehensive strategies by collaborating with merchandising and business units, aligning future financial plans with product opportunities.
• Create detailed pre‑season style plans that support the overarching business goals.
• Analyze business performance against financial plans and forecast in‑season sales and inventories on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
• Develop monthly forecasts for both basic and fashion styles, devising strategies to achieve departmental financial targets and manage open‑to‑buy forecasts.
• Present financial plans, forecasts, and strategic initiatives in key meetings to various stakeholders.
• Proactively report on business health, facilitating informed decisions, and communicate financial results, forecasts, and action plans to managers and cross‑functional teams weekly.
• Support product forecasting and pricing processes by managing reporting tools, analyzing complex data, and providing actionable insights.
• Monitor price positioning across the marketplace and product portfolio, recommending adjustments in line with overall pricing strategy.
• Construct and maintain essential reporting tools for the planning team.
• Report on forecast variances on a weekly basis.
• Actively manage product lifecycles across seasons, including close‑out processes and aging inventory.
• Collaborate with peers to ensure consistency of information, share best practices, and enhance systems knowledge.

What You’ll Bring

We are looking for a self‑starter with excellent communication skills and a proven ability to thrive in a fast‑paced retail environment. Your analytical mindset and collaborative spirit will be key to success in this role.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
• 3-5 years of professional experience in merchandise planning within a retail environment.
• High‑intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive toward clear outcomes, even when the path is not immediately defined.
• Strong analytical skills with a natural tendency to organize information from diverse sources and shape clean, repeatable processes.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to curate and share actionable insights from multiple data points.
• A talent for building strong relationships across various teams.
• Comfort with planning systems and an affinity for learning new software.

Nice‑to‑Have Qualifications

• Proven track record in retail planning, merchandising, inventory management, or related operational disciplines.
• Intermediate data manipulation and visualization skills (e.g., SQL, Snowflake, Tableau, PowerBI).
• Experience communicating complex financial information to executive and various non‑technical audiences.
• A strong interest in apparel and consumer products.
• Robust experience in adjacent areas of the retail business.