Strategic Merchandise Planner: SKU Forecasting & Open-to-Buy

Fanatics Inc.; Florida; On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Career growth opportunities

Collaborative culture

Job summary

Fanatics Inc. is seeking a Planner to drive category-level business performance through effective planning and analysis. The ideal candidate should have strong Excel skills and the ability to collaborate with product teams on inventory and assortment strategies.

This role requires 3–5 years of experience in merchandise or retail planning, along with a Bachelor's degree. Join a culture that values analytical thinking and fosters growth.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in merchandise planning or related analytical function.
• Comfort with pre-season planning and inventory management.
• Ability to analyze data and present actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Own category-level performance metrics and plans.
• Collaborate with product teams on inventory and assortment decisions.
• Perform ad hoc analysis to support business decision-making.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Excel proficiency

Data analysis

Collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Domo

Job description

The Planner is responsible for owning category-level business performance through thoughtful pre-season planning, in-season management, open-to-buy, and SKU-level planning. This role partners closely with the product team to align inventory, assortment, and financial plans with customer demand and seasonal trends. The ideal candidate is highly analytical, detail-oriented, and exceptionally comfortable in Excel, with a track record of building tools, improving reporting, and turning data into clear action.

How you will make an impact:

• Own category-level performance across sales, margin, inventory, receipts, and open-to-buy, ensuring plans support financial and operational goals.
• Build and maintain pre-season plans and SKU-level plans that reflect business goals, seasonality, and product strategies.
• Manage in-season performance through weekly forecasting, business recaps, and plan adjustments based on sales trends, inventory position, and risk/opportunity.
• Partner closely with the product team to support assortment decisions, launch timing, and inventory investments.
• Analyze category and SKU performance and develop actionable recommendations to improve sell-through, inventory productivity, and margin.
• Perform ad hoc analysis to answer business questions, identify trends, and support decision-making across the organization.
• Build and maintain Excel-based tools, templates, and reporting models to support planning and business management.
• Create reporting that improves visibility into performance, seasonality, risks, and opportunities; Domo experience is preferred for reporting and visualization support.
• Support markdown, pricing, and inventory actions in partnership with cross-functional teams.
• Present clear, concise insights and recommendations to the Director of Planning and other key stakeholders.

What you bring to the team:

• Experience with pre-season planning, in-season management, open-to-buy, and SKU-level planning.
• Deep understanding of seasonality, demand trends, and inventory management.
• Comfort working closely with product, buying, and other cross-functional teams.
• Experience with ad hoc analysis, forecasting, recapping, and translating data into action.
• Familiarity with markdowns, pricing, and margin optimization.
• Reporting and visualization experience preferred; Domo experience is a plus.
• 3–5 years of experience in merchandise planning, retail planning, inventory management, or a related analytical function.
• A bachelor’s degree is required.
• Highly proficient in Excel with experience building tools, models, and reporting frameworks from scratch or improving existing ones.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Comfort evaluating and applying AI-enabled solutions to streamline planning workflows and enhance productivity.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to influence without direct authority.

At Fanatics, we value transparency and honesty. If you don’t meet every single requirement, that’s okay – we still want to hear from you! We believe in the power of diverse experiences and talents. If you’re excited about the role and confident that you can contribute, don’t hesitate to apply. We’re genuinely interested in how your unique skills and perspective can help us build something amazing together.

Where You’ll Work and What’s required:

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities and shifting business needs.
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams, including product and planning partners.

What’s in it for you:

• Culture: Join a team where analytical thinking, collaboration, and ownership are valued every day.
• Growth: Opportunity to own a meaningful category business and shape planning processes, tools, and reporting.
• Impact: Work closely with leadership and cross-functional partners to influence business outcomes and improve decision-making.

About Us

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform. We ignite the passions of global sports fans and maximize the presence and reach for our hundreds of sports partners globally by offering products and services across Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming, allowing sports fans to Buy, Collect, and Bet. Through the Fanatics platform, sports fans can buy licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods; collect physical and digital trading cards, sports memorabilia, and other digital assets; and bet as the company builds its Sportsbook and iGaming platform. Fanatics has an established database of over 100 million global sports fans; a global partner network with approximately 900 sports properties, including major national and international professional sports leagues, players associations, teams, colleges, college conferences and retail partners, 2,500 athletes and celebrities, and 200 exclusive athletes; and over 2,000 retail locations, including its Lids retail stores. Our more than 22,000 employees are committed to relentlessly enhancing the fan experience and delighting sports fans globally.

About the Team

Fanatics Commerce is a leading designer, manufacturer, and seller of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, headwear, and hardgoods. It operates a vertically-integrated platform of digital and physical capabilities for leading sports leagues, teams, colleges, and associations globally – as well as its flagship site, www.fanatics.com.

Fanatics Commerce has a broad range of online, sports venue, and vertical apparel partnerships worldwide, including comprehensive partnerships with leading leagues, teams, colleges, and sports organizations across the world—including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, Formula 1, and Australian Football League (AFL); the Dallas Cowboys, Golden State Warriors, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea FC, and Tokyo Giants; the University of Notre Dame, University of Alabama, and University of Texas; the International Olympic Committee (IOC), England Rugby, and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

At Fanatics Commerce, we infuse our BOLD Leadership Principles in everything we do:
· Build Championship Teams
· Obsessed with Fans
· Limitless Entrepreneurial Spirit
· Determined and Relentless Mindset

Job Info

• Locations 15701 SW 29th St, Miramar, FL, 33027, US (On-site)