Merchandise Planner

Brilliant Earth

2d•Remote

About The Position

The Merchandise Planner will be a key member of Brilliant Earth's Merchandising & Planning team, responsible for developing comprehensive sales and inventory strategies across multiple product categories. Reporting to the Associate Director of Merchandise Planning, this role is the primary liaison between merchandising, operations, and finance teams to optimize inventory investments while maximizing profitability and customer satisfaction. The Merchandise Planner will lead inventory planning initiatives, establish forecasting methodologies, and drive strategic decision-making to support business growth. Brilliant Earth is in an exciting phase of building and refining our planning infrastructure. The ideal candidate brings analytical depth, intellectual curiosity, and resourcefulness. We’re seeking a strategic thinker who can work effectively in an evolving systems environment to identify gaps, develop workarounds, and actively contribute to the improvement of planning tools and processes over time. We have a social and environmental mission at the core of our company and are looking for someone who is passionate about helping us achieve our social goals while delivering exceptional business results.

Requirements

BA degree or equivalent, preferred
5+ years’ experience in quantitative analysis, inventory planning and/or forecasting; in a retail, product or e-commerce company
Experience with attribute-based or commodity inventory planning (e.g. precious metals, gemstones or other specification-driven categories) is a strong plus
Experience in allocation or store planning is a plus
Advanced Excel skills including complex formulas, pivot tables, financial modeling, and efficient management of large datasets for inventory and sales analysis
Experience with Planning and Reporting software; experience with Domo, NetSuite, or similar, a plus
Highly organized, detail-oriented and accountable with strong time management and a bias toward execution and process improvement
Critical thinker who adapts quickly, works collaboratively and brings a self-starter mindset
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
Interest in socially and environmentally responsible organizations and products

Responsibilities

Manage merchandise planning for multiple product categories and contribute to category results
Navigate the unique complexities of fine jewelry inventory, including diamond and gemstone assortment management
Lead strategic inventory planning for new showroom launches and business initiatives
Establish inventory parameters including weeks of supply, safety stock, and reorder points
Identify opportunities to improve inventory productivity and reduce excess while maintaining service levels
Participate in and facilitate cross-functional meetings to review inventory positions and align on action plans
Drive the weekly forecasting process to determine appropriate inventory levels across channels
Support the OTB process: translate financial plans into actionable buying strategies through monthly OTB framework and collaborate on category Open-To-Buy alignment across teams
Collaborate with the merchandising team to develop and maintain comprehensive sales forecasts, strategic inventory plans, dynamic scenario models, and data-driven buying recommendations to optimize product assortment and maximize profitability
Develop scenario planning models to evaluate potential business impacts and contingencies
Design comprehensive analytics frameworks and models to evaluate business performance metrics
Ensure accuracy of analysis, reporting, insights, forecasts, and achievement of inventory plans/goals
Perform complex statistical analysis to support Planning and Merchandising teams