Merchandise Planner

Vera Bradley • Roanoke, IN

6d • $58,100 - $79,850

About The Position

The Merchandise Planner analyzes business risks and opportunities to maximize sales, profitability, and inventory turnover. The role creates sales and gross margin plans and forecasts by channel, department, and classification, and forecasts style/color activity across channels and products.

The planner develops and maintains merchandise financial plans, forecasts, inventory targets, and strategies; ensures plans reconcile to company fiscal targets and style/color SKU plans; and evaluates sales, inventory, markdowns, promotions, and forecast performance. The role collaborates with cross-functional teams to maintain accurate demand forecasts, respond to business trends, and develop inventory strategies. JDA Planning software is used to maintain merchandise class and SKU forecasts.

This position requires a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience, plus at least two years of planning or forecasting experience or equivalent. Omni-channel experience is strongly preferred. The work is described as being in an office environment and includes use of office equipment. The posting lists a base pay range of $58,100 to $79,850.

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.
• Detail oriented and able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload and concurrently manage multiple projects.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including ability to communicate across organizational levels.
• Ability to build and maintain rapport with internal and external customers, handle situations with confidence and tact, collaborate, 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 and attention to detail, with aptitude in retail math and forecasting methodology.
• Understanding of key business drivers and ability to apply that knowledge in the work.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong sensory skills, including good eyesight, hearing, and dexterity.
• Ability to operate office equipment, including computers, copiers, and phones.

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, and establish inventory targets and strategies.
• Translate merchandise strategy and vision into actionable plans with profitable results.
• Ensure merchandise plans reconcile to company fiscal targets and style/color SKU plans.
• Analyze historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities.
• Recap and analyze actual sales versus plan, and forecast in-season sales and inventory weekly, monthly, and quarterly.
• Assess financial risk associated with unproductive inventory and closeouts; analyze in-season discounting and recommend markdown items.
• 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 analysis to identify opportunities for future plans and strategies.
• Analyze promotional effectiveness and recommend future actions.
• Analyze style/color plans by channel or sub-channel to identify opportunities to improve performance and sales 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 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 plan options, including HDHP/HSA and PPO plans
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Employer-provided life insurance equal to twice the employee’s salary
• Accidental death and disability insurance
• Voluntary life insurance for the employee, spouse, and children
• Short-term disability
• Long-term disability
• 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting, subject to age and service requirements
• Up to 3 weeks of paid time off in the first year, with opportunity to earn more
• 9 paid holidays per year
• Paid bereavement leave
• Voluntary time off
• Financial, physical, and mental wellness resources
• 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
• 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