Manager, Assortment Planning D21

Home Depot • Atlanta, GA

6d

About The Position

The Manager, Assortment Planning provides subject matter expertise, project management, and analytical support for assortment decisions made by the merchandising organization during category reviews. The role executes category Business Reviews (BR) and Product Line Reviews (PLR) for a designated department and serves as a thought leader on category and assortment strategy. The Manager advocates for assortment-planning best practices across categories and supports Senior Analysts in the absence of a Senior Manager.

Working in collaboration with Merchants, the Manager determines category review goals and objectives, conducts standard and ad hoc analysis, recommends assortment decisions to improve category performance, and develops financial plans reflecting category changes. Analysis may cover marketplace and macroeconomic trends, competitive assessments, vendor and private-brand portfolios, line structure, store clustering, customer and store feedback, product attributes, and regional performance. The role develops executive-level presentations summarizing historical performance, the strategic rationale for assortment decisions, and expected financial impact, and reports findings to all levels of management. The Manager is accountable for the accuracy, thoroughness, soundness, timeliness, and viability of recommendations.

The position also supports the development and maintenance of a category-review calendar, owns relationships with MVP/DMM and Merchant/Associate Merchant partners for the designated department, and handles strategic projects, ad hoc analysis, and reporting. It reports to the Senior Manager, Assortment Planning and has no direct supervisory responsibility. Overnight travel is typically less than 10% of the time. The role is generally performed in a comfortable indoor environment, with most time spent sitting and frequent opportunities to move about; on rare occasions, light lifting or moving may be needed.

Requirements

• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Must be legally permitted to work in the United States.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent degree in a field related to the job, or the knowledge, skills, and abilities typically acquired through completion of such a program.
• At least 3 years of work experience.
• Ability to partner with cross-functional teams at all levels across a complex organization.
• Ability to get results despite a large workload, competing demands, and a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to prioritize multiple demands, adjust quickly to change, and work constructively under pressure.
• Ability to structure ambiguous projects and work constructively under tight deadlines.
• Ability to influence peers and business partners without authority.

Nice To Haves

• MBA.
• Prior experience in category management.
• Prior experience in merchandising, planning, and analysis.
• Prior experience with merchandise-planning software.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Access, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Strong analytical skills, including financial-analysis aptitude and the ability to generate insights from large, complex data sets.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to articulate viewpoints to executive leadership and write compelling executive-level presentations.
• Strong project-management skills and the ability to handle multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong financial acumen, including experience with retail and cost methods of accounting.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Merchants to determine category review goals and objectives.
• Conduct standard and ad hoc analyses to identify key drivers of category performance.
• Recommend assortment decisions intended to improve category performance and develop financial plans reflecting category changes.
• Analyze marketplace and macroeconomic trends, competition, vendor and private-brand portfolios, line structure, store clustering, customer and store feedback, product attributes, and regional performance.
• Develop executive-level presentations summarizing historical category performance, the strategic rationale for assortment decisions, and expected financial impact.
• Report analysis and recommendations to all levels of management.
• Ensure recommendations are accurate, thorough, timely, viable, and supported by sound thought processes.
• Support the development and maintenance of a category-review calendar.
• Own MVP/DMM and Merchant/Associate Merchant relationships for the designated department.
• Perform strategic projects, ad hoc analysis, and reporting.
• Advocate for assortment-planning best practices across the portfolio of categories and support Senior Analysts in the absence of a Senior Manager.

What This Job Offers

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