Senior Merchandise Planner

The Paper Store; Acton (MA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 121,000; Full time

Job summary

The Paper Store, Inc. is seeking a Senior Merchandise Planner in Acton, MA. The role focuses on developing accurate sales forecasts and disciplined inventory plans to drive inventory turn and protect margins.

You will collaborate with Merchandising and Finance to ensure forecast integrity and deliver quantifiable results. The ideal candidate brings 3–5 years of senior planning experience in retail, advanced Excel skills, and a data-driven approach.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 3–5 years of experience as Senior Planner or Planning Manager in retail.
• Advanced Excel skills and solid forecasting experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain detailed sales forecasts and inventory plans across departments.
• Own Open-to-Buy planning and align with forecasts, targets, and financial objectives.
• Monitor performance and inventory flow; identify risks and opportunities early.
• Collaborate with Buyers, GMMs, Merchandising, Finance, and Sales to align outlooks.
• Lead planning reviews with clear agendas and documented assumptions.
• Train and develop junior planners on forecasting and plan management.

Skills

Forecasting

Open-to-Buy

Inventory planning

Data analysis

Advanced Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Details: Job Location: 0099 - Corporate - Acton, MA 01420, Position Type: Full Time, Salary Range: $110,000.00 - $121,000.00 Salary/year, TPS Group Holdings, a family of brands including The Paper Store, Uncharted and Gifts & More, is all about transforming daily routines into joyful escapes that inspire and surprise. Our mission is to connect with every customer through carefully chosen products, immersive shopping experiences, and service that goes the extra mile—creating a space that sparks joy with every visit.

Position Overview

The Senior Merchandise Planner is responsible for developing accurate, disciplined sales forecasts and inventory plans that drive inventory turn, protect margin, and support category growth while minimizing risk and lost sales. This role plays a critical part in ensuring forecast integrity through structured planning processes, detailed analysis, and thoughtful collaboration with Merchandising and Finance. The ideal candidate brings a highly analytical, data-driven approach, values precision and follow-through, and thrives in an environment with clear expectations, proven methodologies, and accountability. The Senior Planner reports to the Director Planning.

What you’ll do

Planning & Forecasting

• Develop and maintain detailed sales forecasts, inventory plans, and margin goals across assigned departments
• Own department-level Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning, ensuring alignment to sales forecasts, inventory targets, and financial objectives
• Reconcile bottom-up plans to department and total company forecasts, validating assumptions and identifying gaps
• Monitor weekly sales performance, promotional activity, and inventory flow to identify risks and opportunities early

Inventory & Risk Management

• Proactively identify inventory, margin, and forecast risk through detailed analysis, and recommend data-supported actions
• Monitor inventory levels and receipts to ensure sales plans are achieved or exceeded while minimizing excess and aged inventory
• Develop replenishment strategies, where applicable, to support consistent flow and improved profitability
• Analyze key item performance, seasonality, and trends, adjusting forecasts, receipts, and inventory levels for complex categories

Collaboration & Communication

• Partner closely with Buyers, GMMs, and the Merchant team to align forecasts with product and customer strategies
• Work with Finance and Sales Development to assess current business performance and refine future outlooks
• Lead structured planning reviews and forecasting meetings with clear agendas, documented assumptions, and follow-up actions
• Provide clear, fact-based insights and recommendations to support decision-making across cross-functional partners

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Prepare detailed hindsight analysis to evaluate performance and optimize future plans
• Create actionable product performance and inventory reporting at appropriate levels of detail
• Ensure consistency, accuracy, and rigor in planning methodology across departments

Leadership & Development

• Train and develop junior planners and allocators on analytical thinking, forecasting methodology, and plan management
• Serve as a steady, reliable planning partner who upholds best practices and protects the integrity of the planning process

Who You Are

• Bachelor’s degree required
• 3–5 years of experience as a Senior Planner or Planning Manager within the retail industry
• Highly analytical with strong financial acumen and the ability to manage complex data with accuracy and discipline
• Advanced Excel skills with comfort building, maintaining, and analyzing detailed planning models
• Able to influence cross-functional partners through clear analysis, data-driven insights, and well-supported recommendations
• Comfortable working independently within a structured planning framework while collaborating effectively with key stakeholders
• Hands‑on and willing to roll up your sleeves to perform detailed analysis and coach or mentor junior team members
• Able to work onsite at the Corporate Office in Acton, MA four days per week

TPS Group Holdings is an equal‑opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, veteran status, or any other classification protected by state, local or federal law.

This range reflects what the company reasonably expects to pay for this position at this location at this time of this posting.