Anon Category Planner Full Time NEW

The Breakdown:

As the Anon Category Planner, you will be responsible for Anon’s preseason sales and inventory plans, as well as in-season forecasting, covering all subcategories and items of that business unit across all regions in alignment with the company’s financial plans. This role will interact with the business unit’s Category Merchant, In-Market Merchant within each region, Financial Analyst, and Supply Chain to develop comprehensive plans aimed at achieving agreed-upon financial targets. This role reports to the Senior Global Planning Manager.

What You Get to Do:

• Preseason Planning: Develop preseason category merchandise plans across all regions, incorporating sales and inventory plans to support the Business Unit assortments and strategies. Ensure alignment with top-line company goals and collaborate with Finance on consolidation.
• Global Strategy Alignment: Collaborate with Global Category Merchants to align on product, collection, or campaign strategy at a global level. Create and manage item and category plans, emphasizing diversity and inclusion in planning processes.
• Regional Partnership: Align global strategies for the category with each of the in-market regional merchants to ensure the appropriate assortment at each region and channel level that supports the regional financial guidance.
• Forecasting and Supply Chain Execution: Build item-level forecasts, ensuring completeness and accuracy within the forecast system, and communicate these forecasts to the Supply Chain for purchasing. Review product strategies and forecasts with Senior Global Planning Manager.
• Optimizing Sales and Inventory: Analyze inseason sales and inventory data to optimize sales, margin, and inventory levels. Review Business Unit sales and inventory plans with planning manager, category merchant and in-market merchants during monthly OTB/Business review meetings. Propose recommendations or actions to maximize sales, turn, margin and inventory levels for inseason as well as any impact to future plans.
• Monthly, Seasonal, and Yearly Planning: Manage Business Unit sales and inventory plans on a monthly, seasonal, and yearly basis. Responsible for gathering data needed for Monthly/Quarterly Business Reviews.
• Inventory and sales reporting support for Senior Manager: In addition to the above this role will have additional responsibility of reporting on monthly projected inventory and sales for all categories.

What You’ll Bring to The Team:

• Previous experience of 5 years in planning or related roles, preferably within the retail or outdoor industry, with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in planning processes.
• Basic understanding of developing and executing sales and inventory plans aligned with financial targets.
• Familiarity with planning, forecasting, and supply chain coordination, with an interest in diversity and inclusion in decision-making.
• Strong communication skills and an ability to work collaboratively within the team and with stakeholders.
• Willingness to learn and grow in the role, with a proactive approach to continuous improvement.

Technical Capabilities

• Sales and Inventory Planning: Ability to develop preseason sales and inventory plans aligned with business unit assortments and strategies, ensuring accuracy and completeness to support financial targets.
•  Forecasting and Demand Planning: Proficiency in executing item-level forecasts and communicating them effectively to the supply chain for purchasing, ensuring alignment with sales and inventory plans.
• Data Analysis: Strong analytical skills to analyze sales and inventory data, identify trends, and optimize sales, margin, and inventory levels on a monthly, seasonal, and yearly basis.
• Supply Chain Coordination: Understanding of supply chain processes and coordination to facilitate communication to planning manager, category merchants and in-market merchants regarding product strategies and forecasts.
• Financial Acumen: Basic understanding of financial concepts related to sales, inventory management, margins, and performance metrics such as GM%, Discount%, AUR, Turn, Stock to Sales, and GMROI.
• ERP Systems: Familiarity with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems for managing and integrating business processes, including forecasting and supply chain coordination.
• Communication Skills: Strong verbal and written communication skills to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and category business leads, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.
• Continuous Improvement: Proactive approach to continuous improvement, with a willingness to learn and grow in the role, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in planning processes.

Tagged as: Anon, burlington, burton, category planner, USA, vermont