Job Description
Are you a data-driven visionary with a passion for retail trends? Vanguard Retail Group is seeking a highly analytical Merchandise Planner to join our dynamic buying team in the heart of New York City. You will play a pivotal role in shaping our product assortment, optimizing inventory health, and maximizing profitability across our premium national storefronts.
You will collaborate directly with Merchandising and Supply Chain leaders to translate high-level strategies into actionable sales plans, ensuring we deliver the right product, at the right time, in the right quantity.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain seasonal merchandise financial plans to meet sales, margin, and inventory turnover goals.
- Analyze historical sales data and current market trends to forecast performance for upcoming collections.
- Partner with the Buying team to curate assortments that resonate with diverse consumer demographics.
- Manage end-to-end inventory lifecycle, including initial stock allocation, replenishment, and markdown strategy.
- Conduct weekly business reviews to identify risks and opportunities, providing actionable insights to leadership.
- Coordinate with logistics to manage stock flow and address supply chain bottlenecks.
- Oversee seasonal OTB (Open-to-Buy) management to ensure budgetary compliance.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Retail Management, Statistics, or a related field.
- Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in retail merchandise planning or inventory management.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, complex modeling) is mandatory.
- Experience with retail planning software (e.g., JDA, Oracle, or SAP Merchandising).
- Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret complex data sets into a coherent story.
- Demonstrated ability to thrive in a fast-paced, cross-functional team environment.
- Deep understanding of retail math, key performance indicators (KPIs), and inventory health metrics.