Planner

Fanatics Commerce • Jacksonville, FL

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for supporting the seasonal merchandise planning process by building bottoms-up plans, managing in-season forecasts, and reconciling open-to-buy targets across league and category portfolios. Working under the guidance of Senior Planners and Directors, this role partners with cross-functional teams including Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain to drive accurate forecasting, assortment execution, and inventory health from preliminary tops-down plans through PO deadlines. The Merchandise Planner delivers business and fan impact through BOLD leadership and execution excellence, leveraging data, automation, and AI-enabled insights.

Requirements

• 4–6 years of experience in merchandise or financial planning within retail, consumer products, or licensing.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and merchandise planning tools; demonstrated ability to build and manage financial and inventory models.
• Proven knowledge of sales, margin, inventory, and productivity metrics and how they interact across the planning cycle.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and deliverables simultaneously under deadlines, with increasing independence over time.
• Experience supporting vendor plan creation, including template preparation, actuals reconciliation, and deliverable management.
• Collaborative mindset with a growing ability to influence and communicate effectively with cross-functional partners including Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain.
• Willingness to travel as needed for vendor or business reviews.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field required.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Merchandising, Finance, and Supply Chain teams to align on seasonal financial targets, buy plans, and in-season performance priorities.
• Contribute to cross-functional calendar milestones — including plan decks, SIM inputs, and PO tracking — ensuring readiness for leadership reviews and decision-making.
• Develop growing independence in complex planning scenarios while actively seeking mentorship from Senior Planners and Directors to build expertise in merchandise planning tools and methodology.
• Ensure the right licensed product is available at the right time by maintaining inventory health and accurate demand forecasts across categories and leagues.
• Support post-event performance analysis (e.g., hot markets) to help the business respond quickly to fan demand signals and capitalize on peak moments.
• Contribute to assortment execution that delivers a compelling, fan-first product experience across digital, in-venue, and retail channels.
• Partner with Merchandising to reconcile sales forecasts and buy plans in support of a curated, fan-relevant assortment each season.
• Identify opportunities to improve planning templates, vendor reconciliation processes, and open-to-buy models for greater accuracy and efficiency.
• Apply analytical insights and data-driven thinking to surface trends, flag risks, and recommend actions across sales, margin, inventory, and productivity metrics.
• Demonstrate curiosity in learning and adopting new merchandise planning tools and analytical approaches as the business scales.
• Contribute ideas to evolve planning processes that support agility and faster decision-making across the seasonal calendar.
• Build and maintain bottoms-up financial and inventory plans by league and category, aligned to department targets and updated with in-season actuals.
• Manage in-season demand forecasting and update open-to-buy models to track and communicate sales, margin, and turn performance on a regular cadence.
• Prepare vendor plan templates, reconcile actuals, and update key deliverables to support accurate and timely plan delivery.
• Manage multiple workstreams simultaneously under tight deadlines, demonstrating increasing independence and accountability for outputs.
• Apply AI and technology to improve efficiency, quality, and outcomes.
• Use data and digital tools to inform decisions and enhance performance.
• Demonstrate curiosity and adaptability in adopting new technologies and ways of working.
• Contribute to a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

What This Job Offers

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