Specialist, Merchandise Planning and Reporting

The Guitar Center Company • Westlake Village, CA

8d • $65,000 - $85,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a detail-oriented and analytically driven professional to support our Vendor Relations, Merchandising, and Planning functions. In this role, you will provide essential analytical support, track performance, troubleshoot issues, develop and maintain reporting, and assist with systems and data-related needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (or 4 years of relevant experience), preferably in Business.
• 4 years of experience in Planning, Merchandising, or related analytical field.
• Advanced proficiency in Excel and Access, including modeling and building complex reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with excellent organizational and time-management abilities.
• Foundational understanding of Business Intelligence tools (MicroStrategy, Tableau), data mining, advanced Excel formulas, pivot tables, and querying external databases.

Responsibilities

• Support Merchandise Planning through annual budget and monthly forecast cycles by communicating timelines, validating results, and maintaining applications/databases for data archiving.
• Assist with day-to-day merchandising and planning tasks, helping track objectives and improve operational transparency.
• Consolidate multiple teams' reports into executive-ready dashboards supporting key processes such as Joint Business Planning, Vendor Funding, Annual Budgeting, Advertising Tracking, In-Stock and Fill Rate performance, and Forecast Accuracy.
• Conduct data analysis to ensure accuracy, investigate anomalies, and implement corrections as needed.
• Leverage technical skills to transform large datasets using Microsoft Office tools into clear, intuitive reports that inform business decisions.
• Track and report on marketing initiatives, including store activations, inventory levels, and sales performance.
• Build and automate Excel and Access reports using macros, VBA, and SQL scripts to improve efficiency and data handling.
• Collaborate with Data and Business Intelligence (BI) teams to gather requirements and develop dashboards or reports that support budgeting, forecasting, and wider merchandising processes.
• Lead User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for system updates, troubleshooting issues, verifying bug fixes, and validating data changes or enhancements.
• Log and escalate technical issues by documenting steps taken and including screenshots of errors or unexpected results.
• Support vendor funding by entering deal details, communicating term changes, and ensuring funding transactions are accurately accrued and deducted.
• Document business processes with clear, step-by-step guidance to expand and maintain resource libraries.

Benefits

• Pay Rate: $65,000 – $85,000 annually, depending on experience and qualifications. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, education, and other factors. Pay ranges are provided in accordance with state laws and may differ by location.

What This Job Offers

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