Freelance- Associate Planner

Key Responsibilities

• Develop pre-season brand budget plans in partnership with Merchandising, Inventory, and Vendor teams
• Create launch strategies for new brands, including projected sales, inventory needs, SKU planning, and order flow setup
• Own monthly Open-to-Buy (OTB) forecasts, including sales, gross margin, receipts, inventory projections, and financial adjustments
• Reconcile OTB forecasts with Replenishment and Demand Planning projections and present updates in monthly cross-functional meetings
• Partner with Demand Planning to align forecasts and support inventory strategies that meet business goals
• Support and guide Merchandise Planning Assistants in prioritizing key launches, newness, and critical inventory needs
• Analyze sales performance, inventory productivity, promotions, key initiatives, and seasonal newness performance
• Conduct hindsight reporting and make recommendations to improve future performance
• Develop liquidation strategies for excess inventory, overstock, and exiting brands or collections
• Communicate regularly with vendors on sales performance, inventory levels, launches, and outstanding issues
• Evaluate assortment productivity and recommend products to expand, discontinue, or further develop

Qualifications

• 4+ years of merchandise planning, inventory planning, allocation, or retail planning experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Merchandising, or a related field preferred
• Advanced Excel skills required
• Experience managing Open-to-Buy (OTB) processes, inventory forecasting, and financial planning
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn data into actionable business recommendations
• Excellent communication, presentation, and cross-functional partnership skills
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment
• Experience in beauty, retail, consumer products, apparel, or e-commerce environments preferred