Senior Merchandise Planner

Living Spaces; La Mirada (CA); On-site; USD 99,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical (full-time)

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

Living Spaces in La Mirada, CA seeks a Senior Merchandise Planner to drive financial results through strategic assortment planning and inventory optimization. You will lead pre-season planning, forecast SKU performance, and collaborate with Product Managers and cross-functional teams.

The role emphasizes data-driven decision-making, AI-driven forecasting improvements, and vendor coordination to maximize sales and profitability. Strong retail planning experience is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in merchandising or related field.
• 7+ years of retail merchandise planning experience.
• Proficiency with MS Office and Excel; experience with Alteryx or Tableau is a plus.
• Strong data interpretation and open-to-buy management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead pre-season merchandise planning and open-to-buy management.
• Develop and maintain merchandise plans, SKU forecasts, and inventory strategies.
• Analyze product, pricing, and inventory performance to guide strategy.
• Drive AI and automation initiatives to improve forecasting and processes.
• Coordinate with vendors on purchase orders and product flow.
• Manage inventory flow and support S&OP with cross-functional partners.

Skills

Merchandising planning

Data interpretation

Forecasting

Open-to-buy

Education

Bachelor's degree in merchandising or business-related field

Tools

MS Office

Excel

Alteryx

Tableau

Job description

Senior Merchandise Planner### Senior Merchandise PlannerApply: La Mirada, CA - Corporate: Full time: Posted Today: R46505## Position Summary The Senior Merchandise Planner collaborates with Product Managers and cross-functional business partners to drive financial results by maximizing sales, inventory levels, and profitability. This role partners with Product Managers to develop assortment plans and determine order quantities, leveraging historical data, merchandise strategies, and market trends to optimize inventory investments and support business objectives.## Position Description**Essential Duties and Responsibilities** include the following. Other duties may be assigned.* Lead pre-season merchandise planning and open-to-buy management to achieve sales, margin, inventory turn, and GMROI goals aligned with business objectives.* Develop and maintain merchandise plans, SKU forecasts, and inventory strategies using historical performance, sales trends, and market insights to optimize inventory investments.* Analyze product, pricing, and inventory performance to identify trends, evaluate outcomes, and apply key learnings to future seasonal and assortment strategies.* Drive AI and automation initiatives across merchandise planning to improve forecasting accuracy, streamline allocation processes, enhance productivity, and reduce manual effort.* Lead category expansion and sourcing initiatives through import programs that improve product availability, cost efficiency, and overall supply chain performance.* Develop scenario-based forecasts and risk mitigation plans to address peak seasonal demand, market fluctuations, and emerging business opportunities.* Monitor and evaluate category performance by analyzing sales, inventory, and profitability metrics, adjusting in-season plans, and delivering actionable business insights through regular reporting.* Facilitate weekly and monthly business reviews with cross-functional partners to align priorities, communicate performance trends, and support data-driven decision-making.* Manage inventory flow across the supply chain by maintaining inventory targets and Weeks of Supply (WOS), coordinating receipt strategies, communicating forecasts, and supporting service-level objectives.* Partner with vendors to manage purchase commitments and product flow, including container planning, MOQ compliance, purchase order adjustments, and inventory availability across the network.* Oversee assortment, pricing, promotional, and markdown strategies by evaluating sales performance, inventory positions, and product productivity to maximize sales and profitability.* Key in, revise, and maintain purchase orders (POs) while ensuring operational accuracy and timeliness.* Build and maintain strong cross-functional partnerships while developing talent by collaborating with Merchandising, Stores, Marketing, Visual, Logistics, and Operations teams, supporting S&OP processes, and mentoring Merchandise Associate Planners and Assistant Planners.## Qualifications**Education/Experience:** Bachelor's degree (B. A. or B. S.) or equivalent from four-year college in merchandising or a business-related field. 7+ years of experience in retail merchandise planning. Proven ability to objectively interpret data and extract actionable insights that drive the business. Proficiency in retail math and experience managing a traditional open-to-buy. Merchandise planning for a multi-channel retail environment with eCommerce experience preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. **Computer Skills:** To perform this job successfully, an individual must be proficient in MS Office products including Office 365 and Word. Strong proficiency in MS Excel. Experience using Alteryx or Tableau a plus **Certificates and Licenses:** No certifications needed **Supervisory Responsibilities:** None## **Position Hiring Range**The hiring pay range provides a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage that Living Spaces expects to pay for the position upon hire. Pay will be determined by several factors, including, but not limited to: applicant's education, relevant work experience, knowledge, applicable and relevant skills and abilities, market demand, Company budget, as well as internal equity and alignment with geographic market data. Living Spaces reserves the right to modify this page at any time.Compensation: $98,775.00 - $131,700.00Overtime pay is available for eligible, non-exempt Team Members. Reimbursement for expenses as required by applicable law and Company policy. Retail, Guest Services and Distribution Center Team Members are eligible to receive team bonus based on meeting specific goals and KPI's.Additional available benefits upon meeting eligibility requirements include:* Medical (full-time only)* Dental (full-time only)* Vision (full-time only)* 401(k) with Company match (full and part-time)* Vacation (full-time only or as otherwise required by applicable law)* Paid Sick Leave (full and part-time)* Flex or Health Spending Account (for eligible full-time only)* Employee Assistance Program (full and part-time)* Holiday pay (full-time only)* Life insurance (full-time only)For more details, please visit our website at: Careers (livingspaces.com)**Equal Opportunity Employer**It is our policy to abide by all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination based solely on a person’s race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, physical disability, mental disability, age, military status, or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including but not limited to, cancer related or HIV/AIDS related), sexual orientation, or any other protected status except where a reasonable, bona fide occupational qualification exists.**E-Verify**Living Spaces participates in E-Verify. All newly-hired team members are queried through this electronic system established by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to verify their identity and employment eligibility.Applicant Privacy### About UsAt Living Spaces, we take pride in being an environment that cultivates the best in our Team Members. From our corporate office in La Mirada, to our Distribution Centers, Manufacturing, Guest Services, Transportation, to any of our retail stores in the United States, you’ll find Team Members who have started and grown their careers at Living Spaces. We are a company driven by our core values of humility & respect, passion, innovation, speed & simplicity, fanatic discipline, social responsibility, coupled with the desire to provide our guests with the best possible experience they can have while furnishing their space.We continuously strive to find dedicated, innovative, driven, enterprising Team Members to help drive our corporate vision - to be the best furniture retailer in the country. If you possess these skills, we invite you to join the journey at Living Spaces.