Director, Merchandising Planning

Universal Music Group•Santa Monica, CA

18h

About The Position

Famehouse, a division of Universal Music Group, is seeking a strategic and analytically driven Director of Merchandise Planning to support global merchandise planning and financial performance across our artist roster. This role will serve as a key partner to the VP of Product Merchandising, acting as the connective link between Merchandising and Finance to ensure disciplined planning, forecasting, and performance management. The Director will be responsible for establishing planning frameworks, driving financial rigor across line plans, and enabling data-informed decision making across Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), U.S. Retail, International Retail, and Tour channels. This role requires a strong combination of financial acumen, merchandising understanding, and cross-functional leadership.

Requirements

8–12+ years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, or analytics within retail, fashion, consumer products, or entertainment.
Strong financial acumen, including forecasting, margin analysis, and inventory planning.
Experience working closely with merchandising and finance teams in a cross-functional environment.
Advanced analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and data tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or similar).
Ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
Experience building or improving planning processes and systems.
Financial planning and forecasting
Merchandise planning and analytics
Data analysis and insight generation
Cross-functional leadership and influence
Process development and optimization
Strategic thinking with operational rigor

Responsibilities

Establish scalable planning frameworks that improve forecast accuracy and drive revenue and margin performance.
Enable data-driven merchandising decisions through reporting, insights, and financial analysis.
Serve as a key partner to Finance and Merchandising, ensuring alignment on targets, risks, and opportunities.
Bring structure and visibility to the merchandising business through consistent processes and performance tracking.
Partner with the VP of Product Merchandising and Finance to develop revenue forecasts, margin targets, and financial plans across artists and channels.
Own and manage forecasting processes, including Open-to-Buy planning, demand forecasting, and scenario modeling.
Monitor performance against plan, identifying risks and opportunities and driving corrective actions.
Support long-range planning and budgeting processes.
Partner with Merchandising to ensure line plans are grounded in financial targets and performance expectations.
Analyze assortment productivity, pricing architecture, and margin performance across categories and channels.
Provide recommendations to optimize assortment mix, pricing, and inventory allocation.
Support pre-season and in-season planning decisions through data and analysis.
Build and maintain standardized reporting frameworks and dashboards across DTC, retail, international, and tour channels.
Track and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs), including revenue, margin, sell-through, and inventory health.
Deliver actionable insights based on sales data, consumer behavior, and market trends.
Partner with analytics and data teams to enhance reporting capabilities and tools.
Serve as the primary liaison between Merchandising and Finance, ensuring alignment on assumptions, targets, and performance.
Collaborate with Supply Chain, Production, and Retail teams to align inventory, demand planning, and financial expectations.
Support business reviews, providing clear narratives on performance and forward-looking risks and opportunities.
Establish and standardize planning processes, tools, and templates across the merchandising organization.
Drive consistency in line planning inputs, financial assumptions, and reporting methodologies.
Improve speed, accuracy, and transparency of planning across a growing global business.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
100% coverage for out-patient in-network mental health services
Fertility coverage for eligible medical plan participants
Wellbeing reimbursements for fitness classes, spa treatments, meal services, travel, and so much more (up to $720/year)
Student Loan Repayment Assistance and Tuition Reimbursement
401(k) with 100% immediate vesting on the first 5% of your contributions, plus an additional UMG contribution
Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) for exempt employees
3-weeks PTO for non-exempt employees
2-weeks paid Winter Break
10 Company Holidays (including Juneteenth and Wellbeing Day)
Summer Fridays (between Memorial Day and Labor Day)
Generous paid parental leave for every type of parent