Planner

Role Overview and Purpose

As a Planner, you will be responsible for shaping and implementing the financial strategy for your designated department. Collaborating closely with Merchants and Allocators, your goal is to enhance sales, profit margins, and inventory management. Leveraging strong analytical skills, you will create detailed financial plans, forecast business outcomes, and deliver actionable insights that inform crucial business decisions. Success in this position requires effective teamwork, the capacity to distill complex data into strategic recommendations, and the ability to direct cross-functional teams towards achieving immediate and future targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with your manager to establish pre-season financial strategies aligned with the overall JCG objectives.
• Develop comprehensive preseason sales, margin, and inventory plans segmented by department and category, utilizing historical data and current market trends.
• Create a bottoms-up financial plan jointly with Merchandising, suggesting priorities, purchase quantities, and timing of stock flow.
• Integrate and compare tops-down and bottoms-up forecasts using metrics such as markup, average unit cost, margin percentage, inventory availability, discount rates, and product sell-through.
• Communicate preseason financial plans and recommendations during investment and line review meetings.
• Provide weekly insights on sales, margin, and inventory performance relative to forecasts at both aggregate and individual style levels during the selling season.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Allocation, and Assortment Planning teams to make informed decisions about product distribution, pricing strategies, and receipt scheduling.
• Lead preparation of in-season forecasts and coordinate monthly Open-To-Buy (OTB) meetings, suggesting forecast modifications based on trend analyses.
• Evaluate sell-through rates and inventory-to-sales ratios to recommend pricing adjustments and promotional strategies that optimize profitability.
• Work alongside Merchandising to identify opportunities for additional stock purchases or order modifications aimed at maximizing margins.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree is required.
• Minimum of 4 years experience in merchandise planning, allocation, or financial analysis.
• Strong capabilities in analytics, financial modeling, and Microsoft Excel.
• Demonstrated talent in converting data into strategic insights and effectively influencing cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills coupled with strong presentation proficiency.
• Highly organized, attentive to detail, and adept at juggling multiple priorities in a dynamic work environment.

• Preferred qualifications include multi-category or multi-channel planning experience.
• Advanced use of planning software and retail analytics tools is advantageous.
• Proven success in managing OTB and seasonal investment strategies.
• Familiarity with retail key performance indicators such as sell-through, turnover, and inventory-to-sales ratios is beneficial.

Additional Information

This position adheres to an in-office attendance policy, requiring employees to work from the New York office from Tuesday through Thursday weekly, effective September 8, 2026.