Merchandise Planner

Vera Bradley • Roanoke, IN

4d

About The Position

The Merchandise Planner analyzes business risks and opportunities to maximize sales, profitability, and inventory turnover. The role develops sales and gross margin plans and forecasts by channel, department, and classification, along with forecasts for styles and colors across channels and products. It translates merchandise strategy into actionable, profitable plans and ensures those plans align with company fiscal targets.

The planner evaluates historical performance and current trends, forecasts sales and inventory, assesses inventory and markdown risk, and recommends actions to improve performance. The role partners with teams across Merchandising, Sales, Store Operations, E-Commerce, Marketing, Finance, Retail Allocation, and Inventory Planning. It uses JDA Planning software to maintain merchandise class and SKU forecasts and provides input on inventory strategies.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business, retail management, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 2 years of experience in planning or forecasting, or equivalent experience.
• Excellent PC skills using Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate across organizational levels.
• Ability to build and maintain rapport with internal and external customers and handle situations with confidence, tact, and resourcefulness.
• Collaborative approach and ability to influence and persuade.
• Ability to work and make decisions independently or with little supervision.
• Ability to solve complex problems, analyze solutions, and take a new perspective on existing solutions.
• Ability to apply best practices and industry knowledge to improve products or processes.
• Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, retail math aptitude, and knowledge of forecasting methodology.
• Understanding of key business drivers and ability to apply that knowledge to work.

Nice To Haves

• Omni-channel experience is strongly preferred.
• Advanced Excel skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain merchandise financial plans and forecasts by channel, department, and class; establish inventory targets and strategies.
• Translate merchandise strategy and vision into actionable plans and ensure merchandise plans reconcile to company fiscal targets.
• Analyze historical data and current trends to identify business risks and opportunities.
• Review actual sales results against plan and forecast in-season sales and inventory weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
• Reconcile merchandise plans with style and color SKU plans.
• Assess financial risk associated with unproductive inventory and closeouts.
• Analyze in-season discounting and support exit strategies, including timing, execution, and gross margin implications.
• Review and recommend items for markdown.
• Work with Merchandising to establish initial markup targets that reconcile to gross margin plans.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure demand forecasts use current and accurate information.
• Develop and propose tactics in response to current business trends.
• Prepare hindsight analyses to identify opportunities for future plans and strategies.
• Analyze promotional effectiveness and recommend actions to guide future decisions.
• Analyze style and color plans by channel or sub-channel, identifying opportunities to improve style and material performance while mitigating risk.
• Review historical sales trends, research demand drivers, prepare forecast data, and evaluate forecast results.
• Coordinate cross-functional research to reconcile significant variances and update forecasts based on revised sales and marketing assumptions.
• Use JDA Planning software to maintain merchandise class and SKU forecasts.
• Provide input to Inventory Planning on strategies for existing items, new products, and product phase-outs.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision plan options, including HDHP/HSA and PPO plans.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Employer-provided life insurance equal to twice salary.
• Accidental death and disability insurance.
• Voluntary life insurance for employees, spouses, and children.
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• 401(k) plan with a generous company match and immediate vesting, subject to age and service requirements.
• Professionally managed retirement funds and a safe-harbor plan design.
• Up to three weeks of paid time off in the first year, with the opportunity to earn more.
• Nine paid holidays per year.
• Paid bereavement leave.
• Voluntary time off opportunities to serve the community.
• Wellness resources, including financial, physical, and mental wellness experts.
• Employee Assistance Program with work-life support and unlimited no-cost telephonic counseling.
• Leadership development, skill development, and career advancement opportunities.
• Employee discount on Vera Bradley products.
• Bonus opportunity.
• Identity protection and legal services.
• Pet insurance.
• Cell phone discount.
• Employee referral bonus.
• Annual birthday gift.
• DailyPay.
• Corporate fitness facility.
• Individual policies through Aflac.

What This Job Offers

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