Merchandise Planner CSC Generation · Full-time · Remote — 2 minutes ago

Emploive; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Backcountry is seeking a Merchandise Planner to own open-to-buy plans, demand forecasting, and inventory optimization across multiple product categories. You will partner with Merchandising teams to drive sales, margin, and inventory turn goals while delivering actionable insights to leadership.

Within your first six months, you will own the planning cadence for your division(s), lead Open-to-Buy reviews with senior leadership, and establish yourself as the go‑to analytical partner for your

Qualifications

• 3+ years in assortment, demand, or merchandise planning, incl. 2+ years in retail ecommerce.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience is required.
• Strong retail math and analytical/problem-solving ability.
• Advanced Excel skills with pivot tables and lookups; quick to learn new tools.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for diverse audiences.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and manage cross-functional relationships.
• Adaptive to changing priorities and fast-paced environments.
• Daily use of AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT) for analysis and decision making.

Responsibilities

• Develop merchandise plans aligned with goals, targets, and market trends across multiple categories.
• Lead Open-to-Buy meetings and monthly reviews with senior leadership.
• Forecast demand using historical data and market insights to drive inventory and replenishment strategies.
• Monitor inventory, sell-through, and optimize turnover while minimizing stock-outs/overstock.
• Conduct regular financial analysis of sales, margins, and product profitability; provide actionable recommendations to management.
• Own the financial success of divisions by meeting sales, margin, and inventory targets.
• Ensure reporting deliverables are accurate and standardized.
• Identify opportunities to maximize sales with data-driven recommendations.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Retail ecommerce experience

Analytical skills

Excel proficiency

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

JDA

Oracle

SAP

Anaplan

Job description

About the Role:

Backcountry is looking for a Merchandise Planner to own open-to-buy plans, demand forecasting, and inventory optimization across multiple product categories. As Merchandise Planner , you will partner closely with Merchandising teams to drive sales, margin, and inventory turn goals while delivering actionable insights to leadership.

Within your first six months, you will own the planning cadence for your division(s), lead Open-to-Buy reviews with senior leadership, and establish yourself as the go‑to analytical partner for your merchandising counterparts.

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 aligned with company goals, sales targets, and market trends for multiple product categories
• Own and lead Open-to-Buy meetings and monthly reviews with senior leadership
• Forecast demand using historical data, market trends, and customer insights to drive inventory and replenishment strategies
• Monitor inventory levels, analyze sell‑through rates, and recommend actions to optimize inventory turnover while minimizing stock‑outs and overstock
• Conduct regular financial analysis of sales performance, margin trends, and product profitability, delivering actionable recommendations to management
• Manage the financial success of your division(s) by meeting sales, margin, and inventory turn targets
• Ensure structured reporting deliverables are accurate, efficient, and follow standardized best practices
• Identify opportunities beyond day‑to‑day operations to maximize sales potential and surface them with clear, data‑driven recommendations

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 retail math
• High proficiency with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, vlookups, or beyond) and strong aptitude to learn new technical applications quickly
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills—able to present complex information concisely to varied audiences
• Ability to build and maintain strong cross‑functional relationships and influence critical stakeholders
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities; able to organize and prioritize workload under pressure
• 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 vs. when it is not

Preferred Qualifications:

• Softgoods (apparel) planning experience
• Experience planning a mixed‑brand business
• Knowledge of demand planning, allocation, and forecasting systems (e.g., JDA, Oracle, SAP, Anaplan)

Why Join:

• Cross‑Functional Impact: Your analysis and recommendations directly shape buying decisions, inventory strategy, and financial outcomes across product categories.
• AI‑First Skill Building: Build fluency with modern AI tools as part of your daily workflow, developing skills that accelerate your planning craft and your career.
• Ownership: Own your division(s) end‑to‑end—from demand forecasting through financial review—with the autonomy to drive results.
• 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 planning experience, analytical approach, and how you partner with merchandising teams.
• Take‑Home Assignment - A short AI or problem‑solving challenge so we can understand how you approach analysis and execution.
• In‑Person Interview - We'd like to meet you at our Salt Lake City 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.
• Interview process is subject to change. Any updates will be communicated promptly and clearly.

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.