Timberland: Director, Brand Planning - Footwear

VF Corporation•Stratham, NH

1d•$144,000 - $180,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This high-impact role, focused on Timberland's brand footwear line, is instrumental in driving sales, margin, and inventory optimization while aligning with the company’s strategic goals and providing a financial framework to the product organization. The position will evolve the brand planning function and broadly educate cross-functional partners on how planning enables their functions. Reporting directly into the Head of Brand Planning, this position keeps the footwear business on track to achieve seasonal and long-range financial objectives by aligning regional & global plans and ensuring product availability meets demand. Key responsibilities include creating top-down merchandise financial plans (MFP), driving the bottoms-up forecasting process, maintaining a forward-looking perspective on consumer demand, collaborating on capacity planning, and optimizing inventory. This is a hybrid role, based in our office in Stratham, New Hampshire.

Requirements

10+ years of experience and professional achievements in Merchandise Planning, Buying, or Financial Planning
At least 5 years in a leadership position of managerial experience.
High degree of emotional intelligence & communication skills to foster a collaborative team environment and build strong relationships
Strategic vision with the ability to articulate a clear, long-term strategy
Cross-functional leadership Communication and influence
Strong Analytical skills with expertise in demand forecasting, inventory management, and financial modeling
Consumer insight and empathy with a deep understanding of consumer needs, trends, and local cultural nuances
Proven success in driving revenue and profitability growth in a global, multi-channel retail environment
Experience working with diverse markets with a strong understanding of regional differences in retail and consumer behavior

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, or a related field; MBA or advanced degree preferred
Experience with merchandise planning tools and technologies (eg: ERP, BI, or AI-driven analytics platforms)
Strong background in digital commerce and omnichannel planning strategies

Responsibilities

Create long-term financial ambition / targets (e.g., sales, margin, inventory, assortment breadth, etc)
Translate LRP to create top-down MFP (setting line target to drive revenue and margin) incorporating regional inputs.
In partnership with merchandising, build connectivity of the LRP and MFP to create product level plans (style, color, attribute, etc).
Support global merchandising on building line architecture & align on global line plan.
Validate line plan against MFP.
Develop & consolidate demand forecasts (with regional planning, global merch, supply chain, & finance).
Analyze inventory across regions, recommending product introductions & exits to meet demand, with consumer perspective with sell-through.
Seasonal roll-ups across regions, in partnership with global planning, to drive global visibility & drive adjustments for future seasons.
Coach, develop, and build a best-in-class planning organization.
Adapt global strategies to meet unique needs of individual markets, balancing global consistency and local relevance.
Monitor market trend, competitor activity, and customer behavior to inform planning decisions.
Utilize advanced analytics and market data to inform planning decisions and identify growth opportunities.
Establish KPIs to monitor performance across sales, margin, and inventory levels.
Continuously refine forecasting models to improve accuracy and agility.
Lead and mentor a global team of merchandise planning professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
Build and scale processes to support growth across regions and product categories.
Drive change management initiatives to implement new tools, technologies, and methodologies.
Working closely with digital technology teams on system and data governance.