Merchandise Assortment Planning Portfolio Manager

Lowe's Companies, Inc.•Mooresville, NC

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Merchandise Assortment Planning Portfolio Manager serves as a Merchandise Category Management and Product Line Review (PLR)/Business Review (BR) subject matter expert, accountable for over $10 billion in sales. This role is responsible for PLR/BR workload management and providing guidance and leadership to Planners through optimal, best-in-class Assortment Planning practices. The focus is on the effective implementation of the Category role through product assortments, item selection, including brand and vendor performance, to drive optimal assortment decisions and localization opportunities. The Manager provides insights and guidance for overall category advisement to the core merchandising team. They are responsible for ensuring the assortment lifecycle development and necessary activities achieve optimal productivity improvements through Product Line Reviews (PLRs) and Business Reviews (BRs). The Manager actively participates in day-to-day PLR & BR activities when necessary, providing guidance and coaching for planners within their area of responsibility through the end-to-end product group life cycle planning process, from initial assortment kickoff through final sign-off, including final stocking execution. This role actively drives value-added application of core strategies (e.g., role/intent of the category), partnering and synthesizing cross-functional team assortment recommendations (e.g., Finance, Supply Chain, Pricing, etc.), and assortment localization opportunities. The Merchandise Assortment Portfolio Manager ensures the team delivers on the expectations of merchants, customers, and shareholders by owning and delivering on the following: Product Line Review and Business Review process ownership; Category Management insights, white space opportunities, and analytical insights; and analyzing and recommending localized assortment opportunities within the Assortment Optimization solution. The Manager assumes accountability for direct ownership of their area of responsibility through the entire PLR process deliverables and success metrics. They also foster and own cross-functional alignment to core strategies, productivity improvement opportunities, and category management insights through effective merchandise assortment decisions.

Requirements

5 years’ comparable experience
5 years of experience with assortment and/or merchandising planning (e.g., categories, products, processes, etc.)
3 years of experience executing on project plans in a cross-functional environment
Experience working for a large retail organization, preferably in Merchandising Buying, Merchandise Planning, or Assortment Planning

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Retail Management, Finance, or related field
5 years of experience in Merchandise Buying, Merchandise Financial Planning and/or Assortment Planning related work experience
5 years of experience working in a retail environment
3 years of experience with retail assortment store clustering
3 years of experience with Assortment Planning Software (e.g., SAS, JDA, Oracle, etc)

Responsibilities

PLR/BR process owner for identified area, delivers all aspects of the end-to-end planning process including Pre-coordination session, assortment kickoff meeting, cluster strategy review, supplier planning sessions, calibration sessions w/cross-functional teams (e.g. Finance, Inventory, Pricing, Field Merchandising) and leadership review meetings including final assortment publication
Responsible for insights, ensuring optimal Assortment Planning & Category Management best practices delivering on all commitments and ownership of the PLR & BR line reviews.
Responsible for Assortment Planner day-to-day management to ensure team is optimizing assortments, identifying gaps, including finalization of product detail cost/retail/case pack/supplier, etc.
Continue providing recommendations & upgrade opportunities for Assortment Optimization tools ensuring they are effectively supporting the PLR/BR process
Ensure enterprise portfolio objectives are being achieved in Role of the Category, Localization, Pro Growth, Private Brands and Assortment/Space Productivity
Acts as Category Management expert, coach & consultant to the business, helping define customer path to purchase decisions, leading Merchants through the evaluation and determination of store clustering and assortment selection (e.g. shop, drop, keep)
Owns teaching and delivering configuration of the store stocking matrix with approved cluster strategy and product performance information.
Ensures team is performing necessary updates and overrides of item recommendations as needed, ensuring accuracy and seamless transitions to support team members.
Train, mentor, and when necessary, integrate Assortment Planning tool results with product knowledge, merchandising programs, and customer needs to provide practical recommendations and deep analytical insight to others.
Collaborate regularly with cross-functional team members & Merchants to interpret AO recommendations for current items and to develop assortment plans for new items.
Actively share relevant information with various business areas of Lowe’s (e.g., Visual Space Planning, GFO, Pro, Field Merchandising and Logistics) to ensure Merchandising’s vision and strategies are effectively implemented.
Lead category management conversations with Merchandising, advising them on appropriate consumer decision trees and attributes for store clustering and assortment planning
Lead others in linking Assortment Planning tool results to the overall end-to-end PLR/BR business process
Provide necessary guidance when necessary to team cross-functional members and Merchant teams for execution of the Product Line Review.
Assist with presentations, as needed, to all levels of corporate management.
Provide status reporting on all PLR activities & accomplishments