Merchandising Planning Manager

We are looking for a highly analytical and strategic Merchandising Planning Manager to drive seasonal planning, forecasting, and in-season optimization. This role will be responsible for managing inventory, sales, and margin at a granular level while leveraging data-driven insights to maximize product health and consumer demand. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, data-savvy, and able to collaborate cross-functionally to drive business success.
Key Responsibilities:

• Develop comprehensive seasonal plans, including RSV, net sales, margin, receipts, and inventory at the Franchise/Merch Class x MPU level for NMP or Style-Color level for ND
• Utilize consistent business logic and analytics to ensure accurate planning and forecasting
• Own and manage product-driven OTB forecasts to guide manufacturing decisions and ensure optimal inventory levels
• Continuously analyze sales performance and adjust OTB to optimize in-season inventory management
• Analyze sales and inventory performance against plan on a weekly/monthly basis
• Identify risks and opportunities (R&O) and collaborate with the team to develop actionable strategies
• Provide insights to influence purchasing, replenishment, and markdown decisions
• Monitor top-performing Franchise SSPs and assess cross-marketplace trends
• Make data-driven recommendations to optimize product health, enhance consumer demand capture, and support pricing/trading strategies

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, Finance, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience in merchandising planning, demand forecasting, or inventory management
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel, Tableau, or other data visualization tools
• Experience with OTB planning, sales forecasting, and inventory optimization
• Ability to work cross-functionally and influence decision-making
• Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive and strategic mindset
• Previous experience in the retail market or retail planning

Salary Benefits:

This concerns a temporary role of six months, for 40 hours a week. We offer a competitive salary depending on experience.

This international company is a big player in retail.