Vans: Manager, Wholesale Planning

Vans•Costa Mesa, CA

About The Position

The Manager, Wholesale Planning is a player/coach responsible for driving profitable growth across a defined wholesale category or account base while providing day-to-day leadership, coaching, and strategic planning direction for the Wholesale Planning team. This role translates seasonal strategies into actionable demand, inventory, and category plans, partners closely with Sales, Merchandising, Supply, Finance, and Customer Service, and establishes clear planning routines that improve forecast quality, inventory productivity, and in-season decision-making across footwear and apparel.

Requirements

Strong analytical and financial acumen with the ability to translate complex data into clear business actions and leadership recommendations
Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, and develop others, including setting priorities, building capability, and creating accountability through influence and feedback
Strong wholesale planning, demand forecasting, inventory management, and product lifecycle knowledge across seasonal and in-season planning processes
Proficiency in Excel and planning or ERP systems, with comfort improving tools, reporting, and planning routines for team consistency
Ability to manage multiple accounts, categories, and priorities in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while helping the team navigate trade-offs
Strong partnership mindset with the ability to influence Sales, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, Customer Service, and cross-functional leadership
Clear, concise communicator able to synthesize insights into actionable recommendations, business narratives, and executive-ready updates
Detail-oriented with strong organizational discipline, follow-through, and commitment to data integrity and planning excellence
Comfortable working with ambiguity, adapting plans based on evolving business needs, and guiding others through change
Passion for the Vans brand and understanding of the consumer, wholesale marketplace, and account dynamics

Nice To Haves

Formal education in a related field

Responsibilities

Own and manage seasonal demand and inventory plans for an assigned category or account base, aligning to financial targets, marketplace priorities, and product strategies
Lead, coach, and develop Wholesale Planners through clear expectations, prioritization, feedback, and support that builds planning capability and team effectiveness
Provide strategic planning direction, guardrails, and decision support across wholesale accounts and categories to drive consistent, high-quality planning outcomes
Analyze historical performance, sell-through, marketplace trends, and account signals to inform forecasts and identify risks and opportunities
Partner with Sales to support account-level planning, including pre-season buys, replenishment, order book management, and in-season reforecasting
Monitor weekly business performance across sell-in, sell-through, inventory, margin, and forecast accuracy; recommend actions to maximize revenue and reduce excess exposure
Optimize inventory flow and allocation across footwear and apparel to support account needs, service levels, and inventory productivity
Drive in-season trade actions, including reorders, cancellations, markdown recommendations, and risk mitigation based on performance insights
Collaborate with Merchandising on assortment planning to ensure alignment with consumer demand, account positioning, category strategies, and marketplace opportunities
Support key milestone processes including line planning, go-to-market, forecast updates, business reviews, and cross-functional planning meetings
Maintain planning tools, reporting standards, and data accuracy; create visibility to performance themes and planning assumptions for leadership and cross-functional partners
Partner cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Finance, Customer Service, Sales, and Merchandising to resolve inventory, fulfillment, margin, and forecast challenges
Synthesize category and account insights into concise recommendations that influence leadership decisions and support broader wholesale strategy