Merchandise Planner

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Strategic Financial Plans
• Develop sales, gross margin and inventory plans at a category/class/season level that support the categories and company’s financial goals.
• Align with merchants to ensure product assortment meets the financial goals.
• Identify risk and opportunity using historical data, current trends, and strategy to achieve financial goals.
• Create, maintain, and communicate assumptions used in creating the plan architecture.
• Weekly Business Management
• Identify opportunities and risks relative to sales, margin, and inventory productivity.
• Develop action plans to address issues and opportunities.
• Manage the markdown process and collaborate with cross-functional partners to ensure markdowns fit within the financial plan.
• Identify markdown risks and recommend strategies to limit liabilities.
• Develop ad hoc projections that simulate different business decisions.
• Strategic Monthly Forecast Review
• Review forecasts with a focus on maximizing profit, optimizing inventory, and managing risk across divisions.
• Incorporate marketing, markdown, and inventory management plans to exploit business prospects.
• Review and meet with merchant team to align on all financial revisions.
• Communicate clear and effective updates and action plans.
• Assortment Planning
• Create pre-season category plans to support the development of the assortment.
• Review historical data at cluster, category, and key item level to understand prior performance.
• Set sales, margin, flow, and IMU goals before the planning of each delivery.
• Reconcile tops down and bottom up forecasts before passing receipts to the merchant organization.
• Participate in buy review with merchants, planners, and allocators to ensure appropriate breadth and depth and flawless execution.
• Collaborate with lead merchants to ensure plans support product goals.
• Lead and facilitate buy finalization meetings with merchants; review pre-season plans that support new assortment; identify risks and opportunities relative to product, flow, and presentation.
• Gain consensus on assortment and plans from management; manage the locking process for seasonal plans; forecast seasonal and source plans to validate key metrics.
• Manage relationships with business partners in merchandising and other cross-functional teams to achieve financial goals through active management of the business.
• Proactively identify risk and opportunities in a timely manner; develop action plans to limit risk and capitalize on opportunities.

Position Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree from a four-year college or university preferred; advanced degree a plus.
• Experience: Four or more years of related experience in an analyst or planner role, including prior experience in the retail industry.
• Job Related Skills: Well-developed written and verbal communication skills, ability to influence and negotiate at various levels, strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Computer Skills: Well-versed in planning systems and advanced Microsoft Windows applications; strong knowledge of financial theory is required; experience with EP and Micro Strategy preferred.

Projected Salary

$77,000-$87,000

Family Dollar is an equal opportunity employer and committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status.

We are committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.