Strategic Merchandise Financial Planner — Lead Player-Coach

Petco; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Petco is seeking a Lead Merchandise Financial Planner to drive comprehensive financial planning, open‑to‑buy governance, and margin management for assigned categories. You will own the pre‑season architecture, scenario modelling and in‑season OTB decisions, while mentoring a pod of 2–4 planners in a matrix environment.

You will balance hands‑on planning (60%), with strategic oversight of planning cadence, governance and model quality (40%), ensuring optimal inventory turns and profitability.

Qualifications

• Role requiring strong financial discipline and planning for multi‑category portfolios.
• Experience in open‑to‑buy governance, margin optimization and pricing.
• Mentorship and leadership of planning teams within a matrix structure.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands‑on merchandise financial planning and OTB governance.
• Own 52‑week multi‑channel MFP development for top categories.
• Model scenarios, cost shocks, elasticity and ROI for promotions.
• Direct 2–4 planners, guiding cadence and quality of models.
• Serve as financial authority across the planning pod.

Skills

Financial planning

Open‑to‑Buy

GMROI

Pricing strategy

Forecasting

Mentorship

Leadership

Cross‑functional collaboration

Education

Finance degree

MBA (beneficial)

Tools

Profit Mind

Job description

Petco is seeking a Lead Merchandise Financial Planner to drive comprehensive financial planning, open‑to‑buy governance, and margin management for assigned categories. You will own the pre‑season architecture, scenario modelling and in‑season OTB decisions, while mentoring a pod of 2–4 planners in a matrix environment.

You will balance hands‑on planning (60%), with strategic oversight of planning cadence, governance and model quality (40%), ensuring optimal inventory turns and profitability.