Analyst Sr. Price & Markdown Optimization

Walgreens•Deerfield, IL

4d•$65,000 - $113,750

About The Position

Responsible for analyzing data and creating recommendations to Category Managers on retail prices and markdown (exit) strategies for items, categories, and markets or stores. The role aims to optimize profit, drive sales and sell-through, increase market share, and improve consumer value image. It forecasts and evaluates pricing decisions and sales balance using factors such as elasticity, competitive data and indexing, and category role. The position communicates pricing and markdown recommendations to Category Managers, Category Insights, Store Operations, and other cross-functional teams, and seeks approval from key Merchandising clients. The role may also support strategic projects and ad hoc analyses to recommend innovation options that advance business strategy, including identifying and analyzing key value items and calibrating pricing tools to achieve company financial goals. It may identify distressed inventory, develop profitable markdown scenarios, manage discontinued-item lifecycles, and lead cross-functional efforts to find effective exit solutions. The position develops and improves pricing and markdown reporting and processes, presents recommendations to internal clients and management, works on projects, and may lead project workstreams and mentor less experienced team members.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree and at least 1 year of experience in promotions, marketing, retail, analytics, pricing, consumer packaged goods, insights, vendor collaboration, consumer research, inventory, category management, and/or business analysis; or High School/GED and at least 4 years of experience in one or more of those areas.
Experience with MS Office Suite.
Experience using time-management skills to prioritize and organize work, track details, and meet deadlines across multiple projects with varying completion dates.
Experience analyzing and reporting data to identify issues, trends, or exceptions, drive improved results, and find solutions.
Experience collaborating with internal and external resources to develop strategies that meet department goals within budget and established timelines.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or MBA.
Experience with revenue management or pricing analysis, inventory management, and/or reviewing and analyzing retail data such as Nielsen or IRI.
Intermediate SQL skills, including complex nested SELECT queries, creating views, deleting and altering tables, using Boolean logic, working with NULL values, and constructing queries.
Experience writing macros.
Experience with price or markdown optimization software.
Experience developing and delivering presentations to audiences at various organizational levels.
Experience leading strategic projects and proactively identifying process improvements.
Experience with project management, including planning, organizing, and managing resources to achieve project goals and objectives.
Experience establishing and maintaining relationships with people at all organizational levels, in the business community, and with vendors.

Responsibilities

Track, summarize, and present problematic issues for key initiatives to management, anticipating and preventing problems and roadblocks.
Forecast the impact of price changes at category, item, and/or store or zone level; ensure changes align with category strategy and recommend adjustments.
Perform ad hoc reporting on price changes, markdown performance, and competitive indexing with support from the Category Insights team.
Analyze and present competitive activity to improve understanding of competitors’ pricing.
Identify distressed inventory and develop markdown scenarios to increase profitable sell-through; manage discontinued items’ lifecycle and exit path, monitor and adjust plans, and potentially lead cross-functional work across Merchandising, Store Operations, Finance, and Supply Chain.
Develop and improve standard pricing or markdown report templates, presentations, methodologies, and processes.
Identify and analyze pricing for special groups of items, such as Known Value Items and National Brand/Private Brand relationship items, and stores such as different regions, in alignment with corporate strategy and category role.
Present recommendations to internal clients and management, including Pricing managers, Category Managers, and Store Operations; attend client meetings to understand business needs and objectives.
Identify opportunities and recommend process or operating-efficiency improvements; may act as a customer advocate.
Collaborate cross-functionally and exchange semi-complex information with internal and external peers and/or managers.
Challenge current methods constructively to identify improvements and deliver better results.
Contribute relevant input at departmental meetings to help drive program results.
Work on projects of varying size and potentially lead workstreams; help ensure initiatives meet budgets, deadlines, and business-unit needs, and may design specifications and lead implementation.
Mentor less experienced team members and potentially teach and train the work team.