Senior Manager, Planning - UA Kids

Centric Brands•New York, NY

1d•$140,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Planning is responsible for leading financial, merchandise, inventory, and wholesale planning activities supporting the Under Armour business within Centric Brands. This role serves as a primary planning partner to the Under Armour account team, driving profitable growth through disciplined forecasting, inventory optimization, assortment planning, and actionable business insights. Partnering closely with Sales, Production, Design, Sourcing, Demand Planning, and Account Management, the Senior Manager develops seasonal and long-range plans that align with both Centric Brands' financial objectives and the strategic priorities of the Under Armour business. The role requires a highly analytical and commercially minded leader who can influence cross-functional decision-making, identify opportunities and risks, and drive execution across a fast-paced licensed apparel environment. This position plays a critical role in ensuring that inventory investments, product assortments, and financial forecasts support sustainable growth, operational excellence, and best-in-class execution for one of Centric Brands' most important strategic accounts.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Merchandising, Supply Chain Management, Economics, or a related field.
7–10 years of progressive experience in Merchandise Planning, Wholesale Planning, Financial Planning, or Inventory Management within the apparel, footwear, or consumer products industry.
Experience supporting major wholesale accounts within a branded or licensed business environment.
Strong understanding of wholesale planning concepts, including open-to-buy management, replenishment strategies, demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and gross margin management.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including financial modeling and complex data analysis.
Experience with ERP systems, planning applications, and business intelligence tools such as Sigma, Power BI, Tableau, or similar platforms.
Proven ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and translate complex analyses into actionable recommendations.
Excellent communication, presentation, organizational, and project management skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting licensed apparel businesses and national wholesale accounts.
Experience working with athletic, performance, or children's apparel categories.
Familiarity with Under Armour's product positioning and wholesale distribution model.
Experience leading process improvement initiatives and implementing planning best practices.
Knowledge of AI-enabled forecasting tools and advanced analytics applications.

Responsibilities

Serve as the lead planning partner supporting the Under Armour account within Centric Brands.
Partner closely with Sales leadership and Account Executives to develop seasonal revenue, margin, and inventory strategies by customer and channel.
Develop annual operating plans, seasonal forecasts, and monthly projections aligned with business objectives.
Consolidate forecasts across wholesale accounts and identify emerging trends, risks, and opportunities.
Participate in internal business reviews and account meetings, providing data-driven recommendations to support strategic decisions.
Maintain ongoing assessments of risks and opportunities and recommend mitigation strategies to achieve financial targets.
Develop and manage seasonal sales, gross margin, and inventory plans by account, product category, and channel.
Lead the monthly Latest Estimate (LE) process, delivering accurate forecasts and variance analyses against budget, prior year, and previous projections.
Monitor performance against key financial metrics and proactively identify actions to improve results.
Support annual budget development and long-range planning initiatives.
Prepare executive-level reporting and presentations for divisional leadership.
Collaborate with Design, Sales, Production, and Sourcing teams to develop seasonal line plans that support customer requirements and brand objectives.
Analyze SKU productivity and recommend assortment strategies that maximize sales and profitability.
Guide seasonal investment decisions using historical performance, trend analysis, and customer insights.
Lead post-season hindsight reviews to identify opportunities, improve future assortments, and influence line architecture.
Provide recommendations regarding product distribution, category investments, and lifecycle management.
Partner with Demand Planning, Sales, and customers to develop accurate replenishment forecasts and inventory strategies.
Monitor promotional activity, sales trends, and customer demand patterns to anticipate inventory needs.
Ensure inventory plans appropriately account for lead times, minimum order quantities, case pack requirements, and service expectations.
Conduct ongoing SKU rationalization and long-tail analyses to improve productivity and reduce complexity.
Develop transition plans for discontinued products and replacement strategies.
Partner with Production and Sourcing teams to align inventory commitments with approved business plans.
Participate in weekly purchase order release meetings to ensure production investments support forecasted demand and budget targets.
Monitor inventory turns, weeks of supply, and aged inventory to optimize working capital and cash flow.
Develop strategies to address excess inventory, including disposition and liquidation plans.
Balance inbound and outbound inventory flows to support service level expectations across the business.
Identify opportunities to leverage direct shipment programs to improve efficiency and reduce distribution costs.
Analyze customer, door, category, and SKU productivity to identify opportunities to improve performance.
Develop and maintain meaningful dashboards, scorecards, and reporting tools to support decision-making.
Evaluate distribution opportunities and recommend adjustments to maximize productivity.
Lead post-season analyses and communicate key findings and recommendations to cross-functional teams.
Deliver concise, actionable insights that support both tactical execution and long-term strategic planning.
Champion continuous improvement initiatives that enhance planning accuracy, reporting effectiveness, and cross-functional collaboration.
Leverage business intelligence tools and analytics platforms to improve visibility and decision-making.
Identify opportunities to incorporate automation, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies into planning processes.
Establish and promote best practices across planning activities supporting the Under Armour business.
Serve as a subject matter expert and trusted advisor on planning and inventory management processes.