Merchandise Planner

CSC Generation

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

Backcountry is looking for a Merchandise Planner to own open-to-buy plans, demand forecasting, and inventory optimization across multiple product categories. As Merchandise Planner, you will partner closely with Merchandising teams to drive sales, margin, and inventory turn goals while delivering actionable insights to leadership. Within your first six months, you will own the planning cadence for your division(s), lead Open-to-Buy reviews with senior leadership, and establish yourself as the go-to analytical partner for your merchandising counterparts. This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

Requirements

3+ years of assortment, demand, or merchandise planning experience, including 2+ years in a retail ecommerce environment
Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional aptitude for retail math
High proficiency with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, vlookups, or beyond) and strong aptitude to learn new technical applications quickly
Exceptional communication and presentation skills—able to present complex information concisely to varied audiences
Ability to build and maintain strong cross-functional relationships and influence critical stakeholders
Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities; able to organize and prioritize workload under pressure
Demonstrated daily use of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or similar) for real work—you iterate on prompts, evaluate outputs critically, and know when AI is the right tool vs. when it is not

Nice To Haves

Softgoods (apparel) planning experience
Experience planning a mixed-brand business
Knowledge of demand planning, allocation, and forecasting systems (e.g., JDA, Oracle, SAP, Anaplan)

Responsibilities

Develop comprehensive merchandise plans aligned with company goals, sales targets, and market trends for multiple product categories
Own and lead Open-to-Buy meetings and monthly reviews with senior leadership
Forecast demand using historical data, market trends, and customer insights to drive inventory and replenishment strategies
Monitor inventory levels, analyze sell-through rates, and recommend actions to optimize inventory turnover while minimizing stock-outs and overstock
Conduct regular financial analysis of sales performance, margin trends, and product profitability, delivering actionable recommendations to management
Manage the financial success of your division(s) by meeting sales, margin, and inventory turn targets
Ensure structured reporting deliverables are accurate, efficient, and follow standardized best practices
Identify opportunities beyond day-to-day operations to maximize sales potential and surface them with clear, data-driven recommendations