Associate Planner, Tech

Five Below • Philadelphia, PA

22d

About The Position

The Associate Planner supports retail planning for technology merchandise by developing and maintaining seasonal and annual sales, inventory, and receipt plans, supporting Open-to-Buy management, and forecasting demand. The role monitors business performance and inventory, contributes to assortment and purchase decisions, and works with Buyers, Merchandisers, Allocation, Finance, and the broader Planning team to keep plans aligned with financial and inventory targets.

The position also prepares sales, inventory, and forecast-accuracy reporting and turns data into actionable recommendations for cross-functional teams and executives. Additional work includes validating and approving initial purchase order quantities and margins, forecasting new items, performing ad hoc analyses, and supporting special projects.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, Economics, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in retail planning, demand forecasting, buying, or allocation.
• Strong retail math skills, including Open-to-Buy (OTB), sell-through, stock-to-sales ratio, turn, and GMROI.
• Familiarity with statistical and trend-based forecasting.
• Advanced Excel skills, including PivotTables and VLOOKUPs.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret large volumes of data and turn it into actionable recommendations.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to collaborate across Planning, Buying, Merchandising, and Allocation.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail and accuracy, with solid retail industry knowledge and understanding of customer behavior.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with planning, allocation, or demand-forecasting systems such as o9, Blue Yonder/JDA, Oracle Retail, or SAP.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain seasonal and annual sales, inventory, and receipt (ladder) plans by department and class, and support Open-to-Buy management.
• Develop statistical and trend-based demand forecasts that account for seasonality, promotions, and historical sell-through.
• Continuously reforecast the business, monitor stock-to-sales ratios and sell-through, and recommend markdown or reorder actions to protect margin and inventory turn.
• Partner with Buyers and Merchandisers on assortment decisions and review style, color, and size plans against financial and inventory targets.
• Calculate safety stock and reorder points, and coordinate with Allocation to ensure inventory reaches the appropriate stores at the appropriate time.
• Build and distribute sales, inventory, and forecast-accuracy reports, translating data into clear, actionable recommendations for cross-functional teams and executives.
• Participate in business reviews with Planning, Buying, Merchandising, and Finance to align on plans, risks, and opportunities.
• Validate and approve initial purchase order quantities and margins.
• Support new-item forecasting, ad hoc analysis, and special projects for the Planning team.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level