Merchandise Planner

Madewell • New York, NY

17h

About The Position

Our Story At Madewell, we believe that great style starts with great design. Since 2006, we’ve been creating premium denim and foundational wardrobe pieces for men and women that balance quality, authenticity, and versatility. From iconic jeans perfected by denim experts to the essential tee, the most versatile shoe, and the timeless leather bag—if it’s Madewell, it’s made well. Our dedication to Diversity, Equity, Belonging & Sustainability has been celebrated with industry recognition, reflecting our commitment to fostering an inclusive and sustainable workplace. The Role + Purpose: Collaborate with Merchants and Allocators on preseason and in season plans to align on sales and inventory strategies. Provide team with diagnosis of the business and own suggested course of action. PRESEASON Create preseason sales, margin and inventory plans by department, class, style, and color. Analyze and report on previous quarter results; identify “missed sales” and growth drivers over prior year Summarize the opportunity and risk of a product plan as it relates to trend and financial metrics: initial mark-up, average unit retail, average unit cost, net margin dollars/rate. Recommend style count, cc count and flow of goods for optimal results. Independently develop and present the financial strategy associated with growth and diminish categories in quarterly investment review meetings. Effectively communicate support for style level buys as it relates to current trend, historical findings, or related categories. IN SEASON Provide daily and weekly updates on business as it relates to last forecast, identifying trends, and highlighting selling that exceeds or falls short of expectation. Prepare sales, margin and inventory forecast and lead team in monthly OTB forecast meetings for current year; provide sales trend opportunity for future quarters, validate stock-to-sales relationships, maximize receipt flow to improve turn, reconcile receipts and suggest pricing strategies to drive profitability. Generate and manage style level weekly unit sales plans in season to inform total department sales expectation by week/month/quarter and identify styles contributing to a +/- to forecast. Propose markdown and promotional strategies to maximize profitability on the life of an item or category; provide pricing and margin dollar gain/loss scenarios.

Requirements

• Bachelors degree
• 3+ years of merchandise planning experience; a total of 4-5 years of related experience in allocation, merchandising, financial planning, strategy or business analytics
• Strong analytical, financial modeling, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to synthesize business performance into key highlights, root cause analysis and action plans.

Responsibilities

• Create preseason sales, margin and inventory plans by department, class, style, and color.
• Analyze and report on previous quarter results; identify “missed sales” and growth drivers over prior year
• Summarize the opportunity and risk of a product plan as it relates to trend and financial metrics: initial mark-up, average unit retail, average unit cost, net margin dollars/rate.
• Recommend style count, cc count and flow of goods for optimal results.
• Independently develop and present the financial strategy associated with growth and diminish categories in quarterly investment review meetings.
• Effectively communicate support for style level buys as it relates to current trend, historical findings, or related categories.
• Provide daily and weekly updates on business as it relates to last forecast, identifying trends, and highlighting selling that exceeds or falls short of expectation.
• Prepare sales, margin and inventory forecast and lead team in monthly OTB forecast meetings for current year; provide sales trend opportunity for future quarters, validate stock-to-sales relationships, maximize receipt flow to improve turn, reconcile receipts and suggest pricing strategies to drive profitability.
• Generate and manage style level weekly unit sales plans in season to inform total department sales expectation by week/month/quarter and identify styles contributing to a +/- to forecast.
• Propose markdown and promotional strategies to maximize profitability on the life of an item or category; provide pricing and margin dollar gain/loss scenarios.

Benefits

• Health & Well-being - Eligible associates and family members receive medical, dental, prescription and vision insurance, family planning (fertility, adoption & surrogacy support), fitness discounts, medical travel and more.
• Associate Discount - We love our products just as much as you do! That’s why we offer a great associate discount across all of our brands (J.Crew, J.Crew Factory, and Madewell).
• Summer Fridays - In addition to our hybrid work model, we also close our office at 1:00 PM every Friday during the Summer months.
• Community Impact - We support the communities where we live and work through our philanthropic efforts and the J.Crew Cares Program.
• Winter Break - In addition to our PTO package, J.Crew Group offers a winter break at the end of December to eligible full-time associates at the Home Office to provide time to refresh and recharge.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees