Merchandise Planning Analyst

Robert Half is seeking a driven and detail-oriented individual to join our team as a Merchandise Planning Analyst. This role is instrumental in the meticulous planning and execution of style-cc level bottom-up plans, aligning with top-down strategies to optimize sales, profitability, and inventory turnover across all departments. This will be a temporary position located in Goleta, California.

Responsibilities:

• Develop style-color level plans by channel, ensuring alignment with overall top-down guidance.
• Craft strategic weekly sales plans that contribute to monthly and seasonal objectives, incorporating Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy.
• Conduct hindsight reporting by analyzing historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities at the class/product category/style-cc level.
• Collaborate with management to reconcile top-down and bottom-up plans, ensuring cohesive strategies.
• Foster close partnerships with Merchants to understand financial strategies and develop compelling line and GTM narratives that complement goals.
• Assist in Investment Review preparation, providing analytical support and collaboration with Merchants.
• Incorporate regular price/Markdown (MD) strategies into plans, adhering to financial guidance.
• Support Sale Strategy alignment with top-down directives.
• Collaborate with DTC Demand Planning to secure products by market and month, influencing sizing decisions.
• Participate in Final Line Reviews to contribute insights on key items and flow.
• Support Merchandise Planner in OTB preparation and data analysis.
• Collaborate with Demand Planning to execute in-season inventory changes successfully.
• Identify and review risks to the financial plan, devising action plans to mitigate or capitalize on them.
• Connect pre-season insights with in-season adjustments to inform future planning.
• Quantify the impact of supply disruptions on OTB.
• Create, update, and share weekly/monthly/quarterly/seasonal financial results and category reporting, presenting findings and action points in meetings.
• Collaborate with Allocation to manage store quantities effectively, using sales plans to guide flow decisions.
• Track and report performance against targets, determining actions to support top-down guidance.
• Embrace continuous improvement and incorporate best practices into planning processes.
• Develop strategies to optimize business goals and improve forecast accuracy.
• Communicate thought processes used to analyze and forecast sales, margin, and turn relative to plan, trend, and history.
• Foster effective working relationships with cross-functional teams.
• Support an innovative and results-oriented environment within the team.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in Merchandise Planning or related roles.
• Proficiency in retail math and forecasting techniques.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other relevant software applications.