Senior Manager, Merchandise & Retail Systems Operations

Universal Orlando•Orlando, FL

About The Position

JOB SUMMARY: The Sr. Manager, Merchandise & Retail Systems Operations owns the end-to-end business use of Oracle merchandise and planning systems (MFP, Category/Assortment, Demand & Supply Planning, Merchandising) for Theme Park & E-commerce retail, ensuring data integrity, consistent ways of working, and continuous improvement across the planning organization. This role acts as the business product owner and process guardian for planning systems, working closely with Merch Planning, Merch Product Development, Finance, IT, Sourcing, and the system integrator to translate commercial needs into scalable system capabilities. MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES: Process & system ownership Own end-to-end process design for Oracle Retail planning and merchandising capabilities (financial, assortment/category, demand, supply, allocation, lifecycle). Define standard operating procedures, calendars, and workflows for planners and merchants, ensuring consistency across parks, channels, and categories. Maintain the planning RACI and ensure process changes are documented, communicated, and adopted. Configuration, releases & support Serve as primary business owner for planning systems: partner with IT and SI on configuration, enhancements, testing, and releases (UAT, regression, cutover). Prioritize and manage the planning systems backlog (enhancements, defects, data fixes) based on business value and risk. Triage and resolve system issues impacting planners and merchants; coordinate with IT for escalations and root cause fixes. Data integrity & merchandise foundations Govern merchandise hierarchy, attributes, and classification rules used by planning and allocation, ensuring they support reporting, clustering, and decision making. Oversee seasonal and in season item and location set up processes (item master, channels, locations, packs, calendars) to ensure products are orderable, allocatable, and visible across Oracle solutions. Partner with Master Data, Buying, and Finance to align item, vendor, and hierarchy standards across PLM, Merch, and downstream systems. Adoption, training & change management Build and lead a network of “super users” across Category, Demand, and Supply Planning to champion new tools and processes. Develop training materials, playbooks, and refreshers for new hires and new releases; run regular training sessions and office hours. Own change impact assessments for planning-related projects and ensure communication, training, and cutover plans support smooth transitions. Performance, analytics & continuous improvement Define and monitor KPIs tied to planning system performance and process health (forecast adoption, plan completion, data error rates, parameter hygiene, cycle times). Identify and deliver process and system improvements that enhance planner productivity, forecast quality, inventory turns, and in-stock performance. Partner with Analytics/BI teams to ensure Oracle data structures support standard dashboards for merchandising, planning, and inventory initiatives Project & stakeholder leadership Represent the Planning function in Oracle roadmap discussions, deployments, and cross-functional governance forums. Facilitate alignment between Merch Planning, Buying, Stores, E-commerce, Finance, and IT on how tools are used to support commercial outcomes. Support planning workstreams within broader transformation initiatives (e.g., SKU rationalization, receipt flow optimization, inventory health programs). Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UDX policy, procedures, training, and team member involvement activities. Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Information Systems, or Business Analytics, or a related field is required.
7+ years in Merchandise Planning, Allocation, Category Planning, or Supply/Demand Planning in multi-channel retail; theme park or entertainment retail a plus.
Hands‑on experience with at least one enterprise planning platform (Oracle Retail strongly preferred; SAP, Anaplan, o9, Blue Yonder also valuable).
Demonstrated experience as a business process owner, super user, or product owner for planning/merch systems, including backlog prioritization and UAT.
Deep knowledge of retail planning processes: MFP, assortment, OTB, demand/supply, allocation, markdowns, and liquidation.
Excellent documentation, facilitation, and training skills; able to translate complex systems into clear, practical guidance for planners and merchants.
Strong understanding of merchandise hierarchy, item setup, and lifecycle management, and how they drive planning and allocation.
Proven ability to lead cross-functional change, influence without direct authority, and communicate with both technical and business stakeholders.
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Consistent attendance is a job requirement.

Nice To Haves

Strong data literacy; comfortable with SQL/BI or similar for troubleshooting and validation, a plus.
Continuous improvement mindset with a bias toward simplifying processes and reducing manual work.

Responsibilities

Process & system ownership Own end-to-end process design for Oracle Retail planning and merchandising capabilities (financial, assortment/category, demand, supply, allocation, lifecycle). Define standard operating procedures, calendars, and workflows for planners and merchants, ensuring consistency across parks, channels, and categories. Maintain the planning RACI and ensure process changes are documented, communicated, and adopted.
Configuration, releases & support Serve as primary business owner for planning systems: partner with IT and SI on configuration, enhancements, testing, and releases (UAT, regression, cutover). Prioritize and manage the planning systems backlog (enhancements, defects, data fixes) based on business value and risk. Triage and resolve system issues impacting planners and merchants; coordinate with IT for escalations and root cause fixes.
Data integrity & merchandise foundations Govern merchandise hierarchy, attributes, and classification rules used by planning and allocation, ensuring they support reporting, clustering, and decision making. Oversee seasonal and in season item and location set up processes (item master, channels, locations, packs, calendars) to ensure products are orderable, allocatable, and visible across Oracle solutions. Partner with Master Data, Buying, and Finance to align item, vendor, and hierarchy standards across PLM, Merch, and downstream systems.
Adoption, training & change management Build and lead a network of “super users” across Category, Demand, and Supply Planning to champion new tools and processes. Develop training materials, playbooks, and refreshers for new hires and new releases; run regular training sessions and office hours. Own change impact assessments for planning-related projects and ensure communication, training, and cutover plans support smooth transitions.
Performance, analytics & continuous improvement Define and monitor KPIs tied to planning system performance and process health (forecast adoption, plan completion, data error rates, parameter hygiene, cycle times). Identify and deliver process and system improvements that enhance planner productivity, forecast quality, inventory turns, and in-stock performance. Partner with Analytics/BI teams to ensure Oracle data structures support standard dashboards for merchandising, planning, and inventory initiatives
Project & stakeholder leadership Represent the Planning function in Oracle roadmap discussions, deployments, and cross-functional governance forums. Facilitate alignment between Merch Planning, Buying, Stores, E-commerce, Finance, and IT on how tools are used to support commercial outcomes. Support planning workstreams within broader transformation initiatives (e.g., SKU rationalization, receipt flow optimization, inventory health programs).
Understand and actively participate in Environmental, Health & Safety responsibilities by following established UDX policy, procedures, training, and team member involvement activities.
Perform other duties as assigned.