Sr. Merchandise Planner

Five Below•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Senior Planner owns sales, margin, and inventory forecasting for a high-complexity department in an omni-channel environment. The role leads end-to-end pre-season and in-season planning across brick-and-mortar and digital/DTC channels, maintains a rolling 18-month financial plan, and aligns forecasts with divisional budgets and Merchant strategy. It partners closely with Merchandising, Allocation, Finance, and field teams to develop and execute business and inventory strategies. As a leader on the Planning team, the Senior Planner mentors planners and may formally manage direct reports, depending on category complexity. The role serves as the primary planning contact in a cross-functional pod and may expand across multiple categories or a broader division as business needs evolve. It regularly presents forecasts, business reviews, financial impacts, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership. The position also manages open-to-buy, assortment and buy development, margin and markdown strategies, scenario planning, and risk mitigation. It drives planning process improvements and uses planning systems, automation, and AI-enabled tools to streamline reporting and improve forecast accuracy. Candidates must be based in Philadelphia or willing to relocate.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Retail Merchandising, or a related field.
At least 5 years of progressive experience in retail planning, merchandise planning, or demand forecasting.
Experience owning and delivering results for a large, complex, multi-category business.
Strong command of retail math, including OTB, GMROI, turn, and sell-through.
Executive presence and experience building and presenting business cases and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
Advanced Excel skills, including macros/VBA and Power Query for reporting and analytics automation.
Expert-level PowerPoint skills for creating executive-ready presentations.
Experience mentoring, coaching, or directly managing junior planners and ability to work as both a hands-on contributor and people leader.
Excellent communication and influencing skills, including the ability to build consensus with cross-functional partners and executive stakeholders.
Ability to manage multiple categories and priorities, potentially across a broader division, and lead through ambiguity in a fast-paced, matrixed environment.
High attention to detail balanced with strategic thinking, retail industry knowledge, and understanding of customer behavior.
Must be Philadelphia-based or willing to relocate.

Nice To Haves

MBA.
Experience with planning/ERP systems such as o9, Blue Yonder/JDA, Oracle Retail, or SAP.
Proficiency with AI-enabled tools to improve efficiency in redundant tasks and enhance data visualization.

Responsibilities

Own and lead end-to-end pre-season and in-season sales, margin, inventory, and OTB planning for an assigned department across brick-and-mortar and digital/DTC channels; set financial targets and recalibrate forecasts with cross-functional and field partners.
Maintain a rolling 18-month financial plan for sales, margin, and inventory that aligns with divisional budgets and Merchant strategy.
Conduct weekly business reviews, identify positive and negative trends, prepare reports and analysis for senior management, and partner with Finance to reconcile actuals to plan monthly and quarterly.
Mentor Associate Planners and Planners and, where applicable, manage direct reports’ performance and development, including training, career development, and talent retention.
Lead the category’s financial plan and inventory strategy within a cross-functional pod, aligning Merchandising and Allocation partners and serving as the primary planning contact.
Set style-color and depth targets by attribute and store group; manage SKU/style-intensive and location-intensive assortments; and create buys aligned with Merchant priorities and differences in store-volume and regional demand.
Present financial business impacts, business reviews, forecasts, and recommendations to executive management.
Manage open-to-buy to support sales and margin plans; lead markdown and end-of-life strategies, including pricing and liquidation decisions; and partner with Allocation/Replenishment to optimize inventory turnover.
Perform scenario and sensitivity analysis to test plans against demand volatility, competition, and supply disruption, and recommend contingencies to protect the business.
Monitor key financial performance indicators, identify and communicate risks and opportunities to senior planning leadership, and contribute to quarterly and rolling 18-month financial strategy.
Drive continuous improvement in planning, serve as a planning-system subject-matter expert/power user, partner on system enhancements and testing, and use automation and AI-enabled tools to reduce redundant reporting and improve forecast accuracy.
Monitor industry trends and the competitive landscape and adjust plans to emerging trends and unexpected events to maximize opportunities and mitigate risk.