WW Merchandising Operations Manager

Apple Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical and dental coverage

Employee stock programs

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Apple Inc. in Cupertino, CA, is seeking a senior Merchandising Planning lead to optimize retail inventory and profitability across channels.

You will partner with Merchants to develop targets, build bottom-up plans, and align with top-down financial goals while guiding a team of 3. The role requires strong retail math, forecasting, advanced Excel, and the ability to translate data into actionable stories for senior leadership.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, and/or retail operations.
• Strong retail math skills and understanding of forecasting methodology (sell-through, in-stock rates, margin management).
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (complex functions, large data manipulation); comfortable in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
• Proven ability to translate complex financial and quantitative data into clear, actionable stories that influence decisions at senior levels.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills — able to work across global regions, teams, and cultures.
• Experience defining success criteria and building comprehensive strategic plans.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Merchants to develop consumer and category segment productivity targets (assortment architecture).
• Build and present bottom-up sales and inventory plans; reconcile against top-down financial plans to inform investment and inventory decisions.
• Work with allocation partners to ensure in-season allocation, replenishment, consumption, and receipt flow.
• Help manage in-season profitability to achieve or exceed seasonal performance targets.
• Conduct quantitative analysis to increase assortment profitability — identify and monetize new opportunities, flag risks early.
• Perform post-season analysis on financial and assortment performance to inform next season.
• Develop a top-down perspective on seasonal investment strategies focused on monetizing key themes.
• Manage and develop a team of 3, fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture.
• Define key metrics, set goals, and measure progress across multiple cross-functional teams; report regularly to senior leadership.
• Serve as a key liaison between 3PP Product Merchandising and multiple cross-functional teams.
• Proactively identify areas of risk and opportunity for capacity management through assessment of bottoms-up plans.
• Participate in seasonal checkpoints and cross-functional milestones with regional and global teams to ensure investment goals are aligned.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Inventory management

Retail forecasting

Advanced Excel

Cross-functional collaboration

Data storytelling

Tools

Excel

Keynote

Pages

Numbers

Job description

Cupertino, California, United States Corporate Functions

Imagine what you could do here! The people here at Apple don’t just create products — they build the kind of wonder that’s revolutionized entire industries. It’s the diversity of those people and their ideas that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do, from amazing technology to industry-leading environmental efforts. At Apple, inclusion is a shared responsibility, and we work together to foster a culture where everyone belongs and is inspired to do their best work.The WW Apple Retail Engagement, Marketing & Merchandising (REMM) team defines, makes and delivers programs, campaigns, initiatives and experiences that help Apple Retail’s customers and teams discover, be inspired by, learn about and go further with Apple’s products and services, and does so in a manner that is true to our values.Apple's Merchandising Operations team is responsible for the global end-to-end lifecycle for third party products in the Apple Retail Store and the Apple Online Store. Working closely with Product Merchants, we lead a global cross functional network of partners including Developer Relations, Digital Merchandising, Pricing, Procurement, Supply Chain Operations, Regional Merchandising teams and Visual Merchandising.

Description

This role bridges operational excellence with planning rigor, ensuring optimized process, performance, and profitability across retail channels.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Merchants to develop consumer and category segment productivity targets (assortment architecture).
• Build and present bottom-up sales and inventory plans; reconcile against top-down financial plans to inform investment and inventory decisions.
• Work with allocation partners to ensure in-season allocation, replenishment, consumption, and receipt flow.
• Help manage in-season profitability to achieve or exceed seasonal performance targets.
• Conduct quantitative analysis to increase assortment profitability — identify and monetize new opportunities, flag risks early.
• Perform post-season analysis on financial and assortment performance to inform next season.
• Develop a top-down perspective on seasonal investment strategies focused on monetizing key themes.
• Manage and develop a team of 3, fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture.
• Define key metrics, set goals, and measure progress across multiple cross-functional teams; report regularly to senior leadership.
• Serve as a key liaison between 3PP Product Merchandising and multiple cross-functional teams.
• Proactively identify areas of risk and opportunity for capacity management through assessment of bottoms-up plans.
• Participate in seasonal checkpoints and cross-functional milestones with regional and global teams to ensure investment goals are aligned.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, and/or retail operations — with meaningful depth in inventory management and planning.
• Strong retail math skills and understanding of forecasting methodology (sell-through, in-stock rates, margin management).
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (complex functions, large data manipulation); comfortable in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers.
• Proven ability to translate complex financial and quantitative data into clear, actionable stories that influence decisions at senior levels.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills — able to work across global regions, teams, and cultures.
• Experience defining success criteria and building comprehensive strategic plans.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience standing up or expanding a planning function within an operations-focused team — comfort operating in ambiguity while building new capabilities.
• Track record of improving sell-through and in-stock rates through integrated inventory and demand planning.
• Experience with pricing strategy work that improved margin or contributed to profitability growth.
• Familiarity with product lifecycle management across multiple retail channels.

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $155,700 and $234,300, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple’s discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You’ll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses — including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You’ll find that idea reflected in everything here — in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong. Learn about accessibility in Apple’s workplace Learn about reasonable accommodations for job applicants

Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.