Director, Merchandising Assortment Planning

National Vision•Duluth, GA

About The Position

At National Vision we believe everyone deserves to see their best to live their best. We help people by making quality eye care and eyewear more affordable and accessible. National Vision is one of the largest optical retail companies in the United States, with over 1,200 stores. We operate four retail brands: America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, and Vista Optical inside select Fred Meyer stores and on select military bases. We offer an innovative culture where training is a priority, hard work is praised, and career growth is a reality. We are hiring for a Director, Merchandising Assortment Planning, to join our growing team! Job Description This role owns an end-to-end frame assortment strategy across all channels, ensuring alignment with product vision and financial objectives. This role blends data-driven decision-making with consumer insights to deliver compelling assortments that maximize profitability and enhance customer experience.

Requirements

9+ years optical experience (required).
9+ years in merchandising or assortment planning with leadership experience (required).
Several years in a management role (required).
Four-year college degree or equivalent experience.
Bachelor’s degree in business, merchandising, finance, or a related field (required).
Expertise in planning systems (e.g., JDA, Manhattan) and strong analytical skills (required).
Proven ability to manage complex assortments across multiple channels (required).
Strong analytical ability, including experience with forecasting, demand planning, and BI tools (required).
Strong cross-functional leadership and executive communication skills (required).
Travel quarterly to trade shows (required).

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree MBA (preferred).
Experience Optimizing assortment and inventory for a large fleet (300+ stores) (preferred).
Experience in optical, fashion, or specialty retail (preferred).
Background managing both branded and private-label portfolios (preferred).

Responsibilities

Lead annual and seasonal assortment planning, including brand mix architecture, style mix, price-point strategy, productivity targets, and lifecycle management, and incorporating consumer insights, macro trends and historical performance
Leverage forecasting tools and historical performance to optimize product mix, inventory, and lifecycle management.
Define SKU rationalization and exit strategies for underperforming products
Integrate digital and in-store strategies for a seamless customer experience.
Continually optimize store segmentation models that inform the ideal assortment by store using demographic, psychographic and market data
Develop localized assortments that reflect customer profiles, regional preferences, climate-driven sunwear needs, and brand relevance
Own inventory strategy across all frame categories, balancing assortment breadth with depth and productivity
Establish and manage replenishment logistics, including minimum stock, presentation standards and automation rules
Align inventory buys with assortment strategy, productivity goals and financial targets
Ensure stores have the right levels of product on hand to meet demand while minimizing overstock and aging inventory
Drive improvements in turns, in-stock rates, weeks of supply
Collaborate with Product, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance to ensure cohesive execution.
Analyze performance across stores, brands and SKUs to inform assortment, inventory and exit strategies
Responsible for Brand KPIs like margin, sell-through, turns, in-stock rates, aged inventory, conversion of frames
Use data to continuously refine assortment and inventory effectiveness
Build and lead a team across assortment planning, inventory management and replenishment
Develop talent, foster analytical and strategic thinking, and create a culture of curiosity, accountability and continuous improvement