Merchandise Planner

Aquent is partnering with a leading global brand at the forefront of consumer products and retail innovation to find a talented professional who will directly shape product strategies and drive financial success. In this dynamic role, you will have the unique opportunity to influence profitability and consumer offerings on a global scale, translating strategic vision into tangible market success that impacts millions of consumers worldwide.

The Opportunity

As a vital member of the planning team, you will establish clear stock and sales plans that tell a compelling story for each season, guiding merchandising teams to create profitable and consumer-centric product lines. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners, providing critical insights that influence business outcomes and contribute significantly to overall financial and inventory objectives. This is an exciting, fast-paced environment where your analytical mindset and strategic thinking will directly optimize inventory and enhance the consumer experience.

What You'll Do

• Develop and communicate comprehensive strategies by collaborating with merchandising and cross-functional teams, aligning future financial plans with product opportunities.
• Create detailed pre-season style plans that support overarching business goals.
• Analyze business performance against financial plans and forecast in-season sales and inventories on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis.
• Develop monthly forecasts for both basic and fashion styles, devising strategies to achieve financial targets and manage open-to-buy forecasts.
• Present financial plans, forecasts, and strategic initiatives in key meetings to various stakeholders.
• Proactively report on business health, facilitating informed decisions, and communicate financial results, forecasts, and action plans to managers and cross-functional teams weekly.
• Support product forecasting and pricing processes by managing reporting tools, analyzing complex data, and providing actionable insights.
• Monitor price positioning across the marketplace and product portfolio, recommending adjustments in line with overall pricing strategy.
• Construct and maintain essential reporting tools for the planning team.
• Report on forecast variances on a weekly basis.
• Actively manage product lifecycles across seasons, including close-out processes and aging inventory.
• Collaborate with peers to ensure consistency of information, share best practices, and enhance systems knowledge.

What You'll Bring (Required)

• Bachelor's degree in business or a related field.
• 3-5 years of professional experience in merchandise planning within a retail environment.
• High-intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to independently drive toward clear outcomes, even when the path is not immediately defined.
• Strong analytical skills with a natural tendency to organize information from diverse sources and shape clean, repeatable processes.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to curate and share actionable insights from multiple data points.
• A talent for building strong relationships across various teams.
• Comfort with planning systems and an affinity for learning new software.

Bonus Points (Preferred)

• Proven track record in retail planning, merchandising, inventory management, or related operational disciplines.
• Intermediate data manipulation and visualization skills (e.g., SQL, Snowflake, Tableau, PowerBI).
• Experience communicating complex financial information to executive and various non-technical audiences.
• A strong interest in apparel and consumer products.
• Robust experience in adjacent areas of the retail business.