Category Management Planner

Michaels•Irving, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Category Management Planner is a key business partner with the Category Manager and Category Director(s) to ensure the 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, including in-season recommendations to optimize seasonal plans and ensuring corporate inventory initiatives are included in department strategies. The planner will also manage in-season execution of basic assortment exit strategies for resets and partner with the Financial Planner to develop and execute SKU rationalization goals.

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
Provide 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
Use 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
Incorporate correction of errors
Recommend "wave breaks" for seasonal flow
Recommend optimal inner and master packs
Partner 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 timeframes
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