Demand Planner

What you'll do

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with inventory and buying departments to deeply understand business performance at the item level.
• Collaborate with relevant teams to develop item, category-level and subcategory strategies, enhancing overall business effectiveness.
• Develop and maintain accurate demand forecasts by analyzing sales trends, seasonality, promotions, and market intelligence.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and identify root causes of forecast errors; implement continuous improvements.
• Maintain SKU-level forecast data and support new product introductions and phase-outs.
• Prepare and present reports and dashboards on forecast performance, inventory metrics, and demand trends.
• Lead Open to Buy (OTB) discussions, identifying and focusing on business drivers, opportunities, and strategic initiatives.
• Oversee markdown management and inventory health, including pre-season buying budgets, in-season replenishment, pricing strategies, and procurement forecasts.
• Conduct comprehensive financial forecasting, including item-level planning, annual operating plans, and regular forecasts of sales, receipts, gross margin, and inventory positions across various timeframes and categories.
• Conduct detailed analyses to support strategic initiatives and regularly review business performance, providing actionable insights and recommendations for improvement.
• Understand and anticipate customer behavior and market trends to influence demand and adjust category vision and strategies accordingly.
• Perform detailed vendor analysis to support and inform negotiations.
• Communicate effectively to align and influence cross-functional stakeholders, ensuring collaboration with Allocation, Finance, Marketing, and Operations teams to meet collective goals.
• Drive initiatives aimed at maximizing sales potential and continuously seek opportunities to improve overall business performance.
• Run financial modeling to support informed buying decisions, incorporating assumptions, expectations, and known risks.
• Ensure structured reporting deliverables are met, evaluating reports for accuracy, performance efficiency, and adherence to best practices.
• Provide timely and accurate re-projections based on current trends to effectively manage inventory and drive margin.
• Interface with key departments to ensure cross-functional goals are met.
• Exhibit initiative to look beyond the everyday business to identify opportunities to maximize sales potential.
• Perform all other duties as assigned, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to changing business needs and expectations.

What you bring to the table

• Bachelor’s degree in Merchandising, Finance, Business, Accounting or similar field or equivalent experience.
• 3-5 years’ experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, analytics, planning, business management, omni-channel merchandising, or related area.
• Very strong analytically with strong communications and presentation skills; ability to present complex information to various audiences.
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, time management, and influencing cross functionally.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to partner and challenge simultaneously.
• Proficient in Microsoft Applications (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Entrepreneurial spirit - excited by the challenges that come along with building brands.