Associate Category Management Planner

Michaels Stores•Irving, TX

19h•Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Category Management Planner will be a key business partner with Category Manager and Category Director (CM/CD) to ensure achievement of department goals in terms of sales, gross margin and inventory. This role involves providing analysis and recommendations to optimize sales, margin, and inventory, ensuring corporate inventory initiatives are included in department strategies, and managing seasonal inventory flow. The planner will also be responsible for executing exit strategies for basic assortments, partnering with the Financial Planner on SKU rationalization, and using the Michaels Financial Planning (MFP) system to create weekly plans at the subclass level for seasonal and trend programs. Additionally, the role involves recommending 'wave breaks' for seasonal flow, optimal inner and master packs, and making in-season markdown recommendations. The planner will also evaluate forward buys and adhere to critical timelines, ensure assortments are completed within specific time frames, and participate in assortment plan reviews. Support for resets includes developing and implementing markdown strategies, discontinue timing, and order placement timing, as well as monitoring reset progress and updating financial partners.

Requirements

BS or equivalent Business, retail or related field
Microsoft Office literate, especially Excel
2-5 years in retail
Numerical analysis and project management experience
Ability to work comfortably on unstructured problems/tasks
Ability to work quickly and accurately under pressure and time constraints

Nice To Haves

Planning system skills preferred
2+ years in retail planning or allocation preferred

Responsibilities

Provide CD/CM with analysis and recommendation to optimize sales, margin and inventory
In season recommendations to optimize seasonal plans
Ensure corporate inventory initiatives are included in dept strategies
Optimize seasonal inventory flow
In season management and execution of basic assortment exit strategies for resets
Partner with Financial Planner to develop and execute SKU rationalization goals
Using MFP (Michaels Financial Planning) to create weekly sales, margin and inventory plans at subclass level for seasonal and trend programs
Owns MFP administration for seasonal and basic plans
Incorporates correction of errors
Recommend "wave breaks" for seasonal flow
Recommend optimal inner and master packs
Work with pricing and CD/CM to make appropriate in season MD recommendations for seasonal and trend product
Evaluate forward buys on market deals and other opportunities
Develop and adhere to critical timelines
Ensure assortments are completed within specific time frames
Participate in assortment plan review with category mgt team for seasonal and SBA assortments by analyzing historical information, and make appropriate recommendations.
Develop and implement MD strategy following reset financial timeline
Implement discontinue timing
Implement order placement timing for new product with CD/CM and Replenishment Team
Monitor progress of reset activities and integrate into MFP sales, margin and inventory forecast
Update finance partner on any activities that would require updating reset financials
Other duties as assigned