Overview:
As an Assistant Planner, you will support your manager in creating and executing sales and inventory financial plans at a department(s), style and SKU level. Assistant Planners are responsible for developing the skills to analyze and identify sales opportunities to provide risk mitigating recommendations.
The Role + Purpose:
PRESEASON
- Create preseason sales, margin and inventory plans by department, class, style and color. Analyze previous quarter results; identify “missed sales” and growth drivers over prior year.
- Summarize the opportunity and risk of a product plan as it relates to trend and financial metrics: initial mark-up, average unit retail, average unit cost, net margin dollars/rate.
- Assist manager with development of the financial strategy associated with growth and diminish categories, based on current trend, historical findings or related categories.
IN SEASON
- Provide daily and weekly updates on business as it relates to last forecast, identifying trends, and highlighting selling that exceeds or falls short of expectation.
- Prepare sales, margin and inventory forecast and assist manager in monthly OTB forecast meetings for current year; provide sales trend opportunity for future quarters, validate stock-to-sales relationships, maximize receipt flow to improve turn, reconcile receipts and suggest pricing strategies to drive profitability.
- Generate and manage style level weekly unit sales plans in season to inform total department sales expectation by week/month/quarter and identify styles contributing to a +/- to forecast.
- Assist manager to propose markdown and promotional strategies to maximize profitability on the life of an item or category; provide pricing and margin dollar gain/loss scenarios.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree
- Strong analytical, financial modeling and problem solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to manage multiple work streams/projects with tight deadlines.
- Strong technical aptitude, including advanced competency in Microsoft Excel and ability to quickly master new applications and systems
