The Senior Director Director of Merchandise Planning is responsible for leading the Planners and Planning Analysts to achieve overall financial and inventory goals in conjunction with Merchandising, Supply Chain, Sourcing and Store Team Leadership. The position will lead, coach and develop the Planning team to achieve financial objectives including sales targets, gross margin, inventory and OTB management. This role will be critical in identifying risks and opportunities within the inventory and buy plans and working to mitigate those risks. This person must be passionate about leading a team through change as well as drive development of strategies for long term growth. This position is based on-site at our Corporate Office in Boston Heights, Ohio.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead the development and implementation of yearly/monthly category merchandise financial plans in accordance with company goals, historical performance and trend analysis
Collaborate with Buyers, Product Development and Sourcing to ensure purchase orders align with inventory targets and will deliver the required sales volume, gross margin and inventory turn goals
Drive allocation and receipt strategy of inventory across multiple warehouses to maximize delivered sales and product turn while minimizing cost
Communicate regularly with vendors to ensure capacity, purchase orders and cost are aligned with financial plan goals and commitments
Train and develop Planning team on strategic planning, cross functional relationship building and communication
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Ability to work well under pressure and pivot quickly and effectively
Foster strong cross functional relationships that drive collaborative work effort and results
Exceptional organization, time management, customer service and problem-solving skills
Demonstrate create problem solving and outside the box thinking
Present strategies to Executive Leadership to gain alignment
Provide strategic leadership to the Merchant team
Identifies and recommends change in process to improve efficiencies
COMPETENCIES
Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Finance or related field
7+ years of experience in Merchandise Planning, Demand Planning, Inventory Management, Allocation or Buying
Thorough understanding of retail math
Ability to analyze and report against financial metrics
Demonstrated ability to communicate, collaborate and influence cross functionally
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Self-motivated and able to work in an ever-changing environment with efficiency and accuracy
Proficient in MS Word and Excel Applications and data analytics