Merchandise Planner

Aquent is partnering with a leading global brand at the forefront of consumer products and retail innovation. This company is renowned for its commitment to excellence, shaping market trends, and delivering unparalleled experiences to consumers worldwide. Joining this team means becoming part of a dynamic environment where creativity, strategic thinking, and a passion for product come together to drive significant business impact.

About the Role

Are you a highly analytical and strategic professional with a passion for retail? We are seeking a dynamic individual to join a vital team where you will play a pivotal role in shaping product strategies and ensuring financial success for a globally recognized brand. This is an exciting opportunity to directly influence profitability and consumer offerings, translating strategic vision into tangible market success. Your expertise will drive key decisions, optimize inventory, and ultimately enhance the consumer experience, making a significant impact on product lines that resonate with millions.

What You'll Do

As a key member of the planning team, you will establish clear stock and sales plans that tell a compelling story for each season, guiding merchandising teams to create profitable and consumer-centric product lines. This role offers the opportunity to collaborate closely with cross-functional partners, providing critical insights that influence business outcomes and contribute significantly to overall financial and inventory objectives.

• Develop and communicate comprehensive strategies by collaborating with merchandising and cross-functional teams, aligning future financial plans with product opportunities.
• Create detailed pre-season style plans that support overarching business goals.
• Analyze business performance against financial plans and forecast in-season sales and inventories on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
• Develop monthly forecasts for both basic and fashion styles, devising strategies to achieve financial targets and manage open-to-buy forecasts.
• Present financial plans, forecasts, and strategic initiatives in key meetings to various stakeholders.
• Proactively report on business health, facilitating informed decisions, and communicate financial results, forecasts, and action plans to managers and cross-functional teams weekly.
• Support product forecasting and pricing processes by managing reporting tools, analyzing complex data, and providing actionable insights.
• Monitor price positioning across the marketplace and product portfolio, recommending adjustments in line with overall pricing strategy.
• Construct and maintain essential reporting tools for the planning team.
• Report on forecast variances on a weekly basis.
• Actively manage product lifecycles across seasons, including close-out processes and aging inventory.
• Collaborate with peers to ensure consistency of information, share best practices, and enhance systems knowledge.

Required Qualifications

We are looking for a self-starter with excellent communication skills and a proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced retail environment. Your analytical mindset and collaborative spirit will be key to success in this role.

• Bachelor's degree in business or a related field.
• 3-5 years of professional experience in merchandise planning within a retail environment.
• High-intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive toward clear outcomes, even when the path is not immediately defined.
• Strong analytical skills with a natural tendency to organize information from diverse sources and shape clean, repeatable processes.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to curate and share actionable insights from multiple data points.
• A talent for building strong relationships across various teams.
• Comfort with planning systems and an affinity for learning new software.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Proven track record in retail planning, merchandising, inventory management, or related operational disciplines.
• Intermediate data manipulation and visualization skills (e.g., SQL, Snowflake, Tableau, PowerBI).
• Experience communicating complex financial information to executive and various non-technical audiences.
• A strong interest in apparel and consumer products.
• Robust experience in adjacent areas of the retail business.