Planner

About the Role

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for supporting the seasonal merchandise planning process by building bottoms-up plans, managing in-season forecasts, and reconciling open-to-buy targets across league and category portfolios. Working under the guidance of Senior Planners and Directors, this role partners with cross-functional teams including Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain to drive accurate forecasting, assortment execution, and inventory health from preliminary tops-down plans through PO deadlines. The Merchandise Planner delivers business and fan impact through BOLD leadership and execution excellence, leveraging data, automation, and AI-enabled insights.

Responsibilities

• Team & Leadership Impact:
  • Partner with Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain teams to align on seasonal financial targets, buy plans, and in-season performance priorities.
  • Contribute to cross-functional calendar milestones — including plan decks, SIM inputs, and PO tracking — ensuring readiness for leadership reviews and decision-making.
  • Develop growing independence in complex planning scenarios while actively seeking mentorship from Senior Planners and Directors to build expertise in merchandise planning tools and methodology.
• Fan & Customer Impact:
  • Ensure the right licensed product is available at the right time by maintaining inventory health and accurate demand forecasts across categories and leagues.
  • Support post-event performance analysis (e.g., hot markets) to help the business respond quickly to fan demand signals and capitalize on peak moments.
  • Contribute to assortment execution that delivers a compelling, fan-first product experience across digital, in-venue, and retail channels.
  • Partner with Merchandising to reconcile sales forecasts and buy plans in support of a curated, fan-relevant assortment each season.
• Innovation & Problem Solving:
  • Identify opportunities to improve planning templates, vendor reconciliation processes, and open-to-buy models for greater accuracy and efficiency.
  • Apply analytical insights and data-driven thinking to surface trends, flag risks, and recommend actions across sales, margin, inventory, and productivity metrics.
  • Demonstrate curiosity in learning and adopting new merchandise planning tools and analytical approaches as the business scales.
  • Contribute ideas to evolve planning processes that support agility and faster decision-making across the seasonal calendar.
• Ownership & Execution:
  • Build and maintain bottoms-up financial and inventory plans by league and category, aligned to department targets and updated with in-season actuals.
  • Manage in-season demand forecasting and update open-to-buy models to track and communicate sales, margin, and turn performance on a regular cadence.
  • Prepare vendor plan templates, reconcile actuals, and update key deliverables to support accurate and timely plan delivery.
  • Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously under tight deadlines, demonstrating increasing independence and accountability for outputs.
• AI & Digital Capability:
  • Apply AI and technology to improve efficiency, quality, and outcomes.
  • Use data and digital tools to inform decisions and enhance performance.
  • Demonstrate curiosity and adaptability in adopting new technologies and ways of working.
  • Contribute to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• 4–6 years of experience in merchandise or financial planning within retail, consumer products, or licensing.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and merchandise planning tools; demonstrated ability to build and manage financial and inventory models.
• Proven knowledge of sales, margin, inventory, and productivity metrics and how they interact across the planning cycle.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deliverables simultaneously under deadlines, with increasing independence over time.
• Experience supporting vendor plan creation, including template preparation, actuals reconciliation, and deliverable management.
• Collaborative mindset with a growing ability to influence and communicate effectively with cross-functional partners including Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain.
• Willingness to travel as needed for vendor or business reviews.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field required.

Schedule

Hybrid: This role currently requires in-office presence 3 days per week at the Company's office located in Jacksonville, FL or New York, NY.

About Us

Fanatics Commerce is the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, operating a vertically integrated platform that designs, manufactures, and delivers officially licensed apparel, jerseys, headwear, and collectibles for major leagues, teams, and events worldwide. With more than 900 e-commerce sites and a global omnichannel presence across digital, in-venue, and retail, Fanatics Commerce reaches fans in over 180 countries and powers official fan experiences for many of the world's most iconic sports properties.

Fanatics is building a leading global digital sports platform 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.