Strategic Merchandise Planner: Forecasting & Open-to-Buy

Helzberg Diamonds Shops, Inc.; Kansas City (MO); Hybrid; USD 68,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Ben Bridge is seeking a Merchandise Planner to develop, maintain, and analyze financial plans for assigned categories, partnering with Buying, Planning, and Allocation to align with merchandising strategies and gross margin goals.

This role focuses on open-to-buy reporting, forecasts, inventory position, and communicating risks and opportunities to maximize sales and turn, working with multiple departments across the organization.

Qualifications

• Three or more years of corporate retail experience in merchandise planning or related analysis.
• Experience in merchandise financial planning, forecasting, open-to-buy, pricing, and inventory management preferred.
• Understanding of product assortment, SKU-level performance, allocation activity, seasonality, pricing, and promotional impacts on merchandise plans.
• Project management and prioritization skills.
• Strong analytical and advanced retail math skills; proficiency with Excel, Word, planning systems.
• Advanced organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with cross-functional teams.
• Hybrid schedule requiring onsite attendance three or more days per week.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and update sales, margin, inventory, and open-to-buy plans for assigned product categories.
• Support merchandise plans and forecasts by analyzing historical performance, current trends, seasonality, pricing, promotions, and inventory position.
• Maintain open-to-buy reporting and communicate risks, opportunities, and recommended actions to support sales, margin, inventory, and turn objectives.
• Build ad hoc reporting for Merchants and analyze business as required.
• Support annual and semi-annual sales, margin, and inventory planning processes.
• Prepare and communicate regular business updates, reporting summaries, and forecast recommendations to Merchandising team.
• Manage SKU level plans, forecasts, order and SKU status updates as needed.
• Work with Merchandising partners to support business objectives.

Skills

Retail experience

Merchandise financial planning

Forecasting

Open-to-buy management

Pricing analysis

Inventory management

SKU performance

Seasonality

Promotions impacts

Project management

Analytical skills

Retail math

Excel

Word

Attention to detail

Communication

Relationship building

Job description

Ben Bridge is seeking a Merchandise Planner to develop, maintain, and analyze financial plans for assigned categories, partnering with Buying, Planning, and Allocation to align with merchandising strategies and gross margin goals.

This role focuses on open-to-buy reporting, forecasts, inventory position, and communicating risks and opportunities to maximize sales and turn, working with multiple departments across the organization.