Planner

Avolta•East Rutherford, NJ

4d•$86,900 - $105,300

About The Position

The Planner drives sales, margin, and demand performance through data-driven planning and tactical decision-making across assigned categories and locations. The role develops forecasts, manages assortment strategies, and aligns working capital investments with business objectives to ensure demand signals and financial plans support sustainable growth and profitability. The Planner analyzes category and location performance, develops sales and financial forecasts, builds article-level demand forecasts, and manages product assortments and working capital targets. The role evaluates product lifecycle performance, adapts assortments to store and regional trends, and partners with cross-functional teams to support business priorities and execution. The Planner also uses analytical tools to prepare performance reviews, forecasts, and recommendations for leadership, and supports new store openings, resets, and concept changes. The Planner reports to the Senior Planner. Major interdependencies include Operations, Supply Chain, and Business Development. Advertised compensation is $86,900.00 to $105,300.00.

Requirements

The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 6 years.
Requires 6 years of retail experience engaged in developing and delivering planning programs in a technical role.
A bachelor's degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the 6-year requirement.
3–5 years of retail experience in the industry.
Knowledge of financial tools and concept profitability, and understanding and use of market research and market trend information.
Extensive experience implementing and utilizing an OTB system when managing sales forecasting.
Demonstrated continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to optimize work processes and achieve positive results.
Advanced business acumen and strategic mindset to understand the long-term implications of planning decisions and advance organizational goals.
Demonstrated ability to anticipate and balance the needs of the business with those of complex stakeholders, the employee population, and individual circumstances.
Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments.

Nice To Haves

Two years of experience supervising a team of planning professionals in a leadership role is preferred.

Responsibilities

Analyze weekly and monthly sales, margin, sell-through, demand productivity, and performance trends across assigned categories and locations; monitor KPIs and identify risks and opportunities.
Develop and maintain sales and financial forecasts aligned with budgets and business targets, incorporating promotional, seasonal, and market-specific factors.
Build and refine article-level demand forecasts based on historical data, trends, and business inputs to support supply chain and replenishment planning.
Own and manage product assortments within assigned categories, setting working capital investment targets and financial guardrails aligned with sales and margin objectives.
Establish category-level and article-level expectations based on demand plans and align working capital strategies with overall financial goals.
Evaluate product lifecycle performance and adjust assortments to identify opportunities for item expansion, introduction, or rationalization.
Analyze store-level and regional performance to tailor assortments to customer trends and market dynamics.
Partner with Category Management, Supply Chain, Operations, and Finance to align business priorities and execution with commercial intent.
Support new store openings, resets, and concept changes through assortment planning aligned with customer demand and store formats.
Use analytical tools, including Power BI, SAP, and Excel, to identify trends and opportunities; prepare and present performance reviews, forecasts, and business recommendations to leadership.
Provide clear demand signals to support supply chain and replenishment planning processes.