Merchandise Planner, Retail (TNF)

Now that you’ve found the job description, what’s next?

At The North Face we dare to lead the world forward through Exploration. We were born to Explore, Disrupt and to Lead. We were born to Love Wild Places and to Spark Curiosity. We believe that exploration is a mindset - both on the mountain and off the mountain - and it infuses everything we do. As a community of explorers, we stay curious about new ideas, places, and people.

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of adventure-loving people, The North Face just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit The North Face Careers or www.thenorthface.com.

What will you do?

A day in the life of a DTC Senior Merchandise Planner at The North Face looks a little like this.

You will play an integral role in driving the success of our business by developing and implementing merchandise OTB and in-season assortment plans that maximize sales, gross profit, inventory turns, and sku productivity for specific categories. You will manage the OTB and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that inventory levels are optimized and aligned with market demand. This is an exciting opportunity for an analytical thinker with a deep understanding of the retail industry and passion for building consumer-centric strategies.

Key KPI’s:

• Sales
• Gross Margin
• POS Markdown
• Permanent Markdown
• BOP and EOP Inventory
• Sell-Thru
• Inventory Turn
• OTB and Historical Variance
• Sku Productivity
  
  

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

• Build pre-season financial plans inclusive of sales, gross margin, POS markdown rate, and inventory at a weekly, monthly and category level that tie to the companies’ budgeted sales, gross margin, and inventory days goals.
• Develop strong partnerships with merchant organization to understand the assortment vision and inform the buy strategy, as well as provide critical analytical support to improve year-over-year performance and customer satisfaction.
• Analyze sku productivity and make recommendations on assortment breadth, depth, flow and mix to drive profitability.
• Build and analyze seasonal category size curves, considering presentation and consumer expectation, whilst delivering improved sell thrus.
• Manage demand signal for seasonal/fashion buys to ensure Supply Planning partners purchase intended sizes and quantities.
• Maintain OTB- forecast sales, gross margin, POS markdown rate, and inventory turn by week/month at a department/class level. Communicate business performance and actions required to stay on target during weekly business reviews and monthly OTB meetings.
• Quantify in-season risks and opportunities at the department, class, and style color size level making recommendations to improve sales and sell thru including markdown, promotional and exit strategies, as well as assortment adds and transfers-in.
• Responsible for in-season analysis, hind sighting, and weekly business reporting.
• Responsible for maintaining the in-season or fashion assortment sheet. Partner with visual merchandising and allocation analysts to ensure that monthly floor sets and style/collection distributions are aligned with assortment strategy.
  
  

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 3 years (Direct-to-Consumer preferred) 2 years experience in Merchandise or Assortment Planning

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• Retail Fundamentals & Business Acumen: Open-to-Buy, Inventory Management, Sales/Inventory forecasting
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams
• Flexibility and Agility – quickly understand, assess & problem solve
• Effective verbal communication skills, including meeting facilitation and presentations
• Advanced use of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• System savvy with the ability to learn new systems/tools quickly
  
  

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred.

• A formal education and subsequent undergraduate/graduate degrees are nice to have, but we are most interested in your total experience and professional achievements.
  
  

What do we offer you?

At The North Face, we know you expect as much from us as we do from you. That is why we make a commitment to support and grow our people. We offer extensive development and growth opportunities for your current and future positions, a competitive compensation package, and a strong benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

Our commitment extends beyond this and into your daily work life. We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive culture based on respect, connection, and authenticity. Our focus on DEI is at the foundation of who we are and what we do.

To learn more about The North Face’s benefits package, follow this MyVFBenefits.com and click “Looking to Join VF”.

To learn more about The North Face’s Diversity and Inclusion efforts, go to www.thenorthface.com.

Now WE have a question for YOU.

Are you in?

Hiring Range:

$73,440.00 USD - $91,800.00 USD annually

Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation: You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at peopleservices@vfc.com. VF will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.

Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.