What are the responsibilities and job description for the Retail Merchandising and Planning – Strategy Senior Manager position at Accenture?
Accenture helps the world’s leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at www.accenture.com.
Retail Merchandising and Planning – Strategy Senior Manager
We Are
Accenture's Retail Merchandising and Planning practice helps the world's leading retailers reinvent how they buy, plan, allocate, and manage product across the value chain. We work at the intersection of merchandising strategy, planning process design, and AI-enabled decision making, helping clients across apparel, hardlines, grocery, and specialty retail modernize their operating models and improve performance in demand forecasting, assortment planning, and inventory productivity.
You Are
A retail merchandising and planning professional who combines deep functional expertise with strong program leadership. You've spent your career close to the buy, whether in category management, merchandise financial planning, assortment, allocation, replenishment, or demand/supply planning, and you understand how these functions connect end-to-end. You translate that expertise into operating model redesign, process reinvention, and capability roadmaps clients can execute against. You are accountable to realizing value, and you have experience rolling up your sleeves to ensure high adoption of new processes and systems. You're equally comfortable leading a workstream, coaching a team, and standing in front of a client steering committee.
The Work
As a Senior Manager, you will lead transformation engagements for retail clients, working directly with client executives and Accenture leadership to shape strategy, drive execution, and activate results.
Engagement Leadership
Lead large, transformational programs with multiple concurrent workstreams and stakeholder groups
Orchestrate delivery across cross-functional teams spanning strategy, process, data / technology, and change management
Own client relationships, including executive sponsors, and manage alignment across disparate points of view, escalations and ambiguity as they arise
Ensure engagement quality, timeliness, and profitability
Merchandising & Planning Transformation
Lead assessments of current-state merchandising, planning, and inventory management capabilities against industry-leading practices
Design future-state operating models spanning category management, merchandise financial planning, assortment planning, allocation, replenishment, demand planning, and supply planning
Develop capability strategies, transformation roadmaps, and value cases that quantify the impact of change
Apply sub-industry nuance across apparel, hardlines, and/or grocery to tailor recommendations to client-specific dynamics
AI & Technology Enablement
Bring current knowledge of AI, analytics, and emerging planning technologies to identify where they can solve merchandising and planning business problems
Help clients evaluate and adopt planning platforms and AI-enabled decision-making tools as part of broader transformation
Support the design and delivery of GenAI- and agentic-enabled planning capabilities where applicable to client roadmaps
Business Development & Practice Growth
Contribute to proposal development, solutioning, and the broader business development cycle for consulting engagements
Support the growth of the Retail Merchandising and Planning practice through asset development, thought leadership, and recruiting
Coach, mentor, and develop junior team members; contribute to staffing and performance management
Basic Qualifications:
Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience with demonstrated expertise in one or more of the following domains: Category Management, Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP), Assortment Planning, Allocation, Replenishment, Demand Planning, or Supply Planning
Minimum of 2 years in professional services at a consulting firm (or equivalent internal consulting experience)
Bachelor's degree
Preferred Qualifications:
Ability to lead large, transformational programs with multiple workstreams and stakeholders
Strong client management skills, including with senior stakeholders
Ability to coach, mentor, and develop junior team members
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Strong problem-solving ability and sound business judgment
Comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving situations
Ability to resolve issues and manage risk proactively
Ability to manage and prioritize multiple workstreams in a dynamic environment
Familiarity with the operational nuances of one or more retail sub-industries, including apparel, hardlines, or grocery
Experience designing or supporting operating model design, process reinvention, capability assessments, roadmaps, and value case development
Experience solutioning approaches to client problems and supporting the business development/proposal cycle
Working knowledge of current trends in technology, analytics, and AI, and how they apply to merchandising and planning business problems
Prior industry experience in Buying, Planning, or Product Development
Hands-on experience leveraging AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini in a professional environment
Familiarity with leading planning platforms such as o9, Blue Yonder, Anaplan, Oracle, or RELEX
MBA or equivalent advanced degree
Compensation at Accenture varies depending on a wide array of factors, which may include but are not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. As required by local law, Accenture provides a reasonable range of compensation for roles that may be hired as set forth below.
We anticipate this job posting will be posted until 08/29/2026.
Accenture offers a market competitive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability coverage, a 401(k) plan, bonus opportunities, paid holidays, and paid time off. See more information on our benefits here:
U.S. Employee Benefits | Accenture
Role Location Annual Salary Range
California $122,700 to $317,200
Cleveland $122,700 to $317,200
Colorado $122,700 to $317,200
District of Columbia $122,700 to $317,200
Illinois $122,700 to $317,200
Maine $122,700 to $317,200
Maryland $122,700 to $317,200
Massachusetts $122,700 to $317,200
Minnesota $122,700 to $317,200
New York $122,700 to $317,200
New Jersey $122,700 to $317,200
Virginia $122,700 to $317,200
Washington $122,700 to $317,200
Requesting an Accommodation
Accenture is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Accenture and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.
If you would like to be considered for employment opportunities with Accenture and have accommodation needs such as for a disability or religious observance, please call us toll free at 1 (877) 889-9009 or send us an email or speak with your recruiter.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities.
For details, view a copy of the Accenture Equal Opportunity Statement
Accenture is an EEO and Affirmative Action Employer of Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.
Accenture is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.
Other Employment Statements
Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.
Candidates who are currently employed by a client of Accenture or an affiliated Accenture business may not be eligible for consideration.
Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process. Further, at Accenture a criminal conviction history is not an absolute bar to employment.
The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Additionally, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the Company's legal duty to furnish information.
California requires additional notifications for applicants and employees. If you are a California resident, live in or plan to work from Los Angeles County upon being hired for this position, please click here for additional important information.
Please read Accenture’s Recruiting and Hiring Statement for more information on how we process your data during the Recruiting and Hiring process.
Retail Merchandising and Planning – Strategy Senior Manager
We Are
Accenture's Retail Merchandising and Planning practice helps the world's leading retailers reinvent how they buy, plan, allocate, and manage product across the value chain. We work at the intersection of merchandising strategy, planning process design, and AI-enabled decision making, helping clients across apparel, hardlines, grocery, and specialty retail modernize their operating models and improve performance in demand forecasting, assortment planning, and inventory productivity.
You Are
A retail merchandising and planning professional who combines deep functional expertise with strong program leadership. You've spent your career close to the buy, whether in category management, merchandise financial planning, assortment, allocation, replenishment, or demand/supply planning, and you understand how these functions connect end-to-end. You translate that expertise into operating model redesign, process reinvention, and capability roadmaps clients can execute against. You are accountable to realizing value, and you have experience rolling up your sleeves to ensure high adoption of new processes and systems. You're equally comfortable leading a workstream, coaching a team, and standing in front of a client steering committee.
The Work
As a Senior Manager, you will lead transformation engagements for retail clients, working directly with client executives and Accenture leadership to shape strategy, drive execution, and activate results.
Engagement Leadership
We anticipate this job posting will be posted until 08/29/2026.
Accenture offers a market competitive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability coverage, a 401(k) plan, bonus opportunities, paid holidays, and paid time off. See more information on our benefits here:
U.S. Employee Benefits | Accenture
Role Location Annual Salary Range
California $122,700 to $317,200
Cleveland $122,700 to $317,200
Colorado $122,700 to $317,200
District of Columbia $122,700 to $317,200
Illinois $122,700 to $317,200
Maine $122,700 to $317,200
Maryland $122,700 to $317,200
Massachusetts $122,700 to $317,200
Minnesota $122,700 to $317,200
New York $122,700 to $317,200
New Jersey $122,700 to $317,200
Virginia $122,700 to $317,200
Washington $122,700 to $317,200
Requesting an Accommodation
Accenture is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities or religious observances, including reasonable accommodation when needed. If you are hired by Accenture and require accommodation to perform the essential functions of your role, you will be asked to participate in our reasonable accommodation process. Accommodations made to facilitate the recruiting process are not a guarantee of future or continued accommodations once hired.
If you would like to be considered for employment opportunities with Accenture and have accommodation needs such as for a disability or religious observance, please call us toll free at 1 (877) 889-9009 or send us an email or speak with your recruiter.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
We believe that no one should be discriminated against because of their differences. All employment decisions shall be made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law. Our rich diversity makes us more innovative, more competitive, and more creative, which helps us better serve our clients and our communities.
For details, view a copy of the Accenture Equal Opportunity Statement
Accenture is an EEO and Affirmative Action Employer of Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities.
Accenture is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.
Other Employment Statements
Applicants for employment in the US must have work authorization that does not now or in the future require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the United States.
Candidates who are currently employed by a client of Accenture or an affiliated Accenture business may not be eligible for consideration.
Job candidates will not be obligated to disclose sealed or expunged records of conviction or arrest as part of the hiring process. Further, at Accenture a criminal conviction history is not an absolute bar to employment.
The Company will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. Additionally, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the Company's legal duty to furnish information.
California requires additional notifications for applicants and employees. If you are a California resident, live in or plan to work from Los Angeles County upon being hired for this position, please click here for additional important information.
Please read Accenture’s Recruiting and Hiring Statement for more information on how we process your data during the Recruiting and Hiring process.
Salary : $122,700 - $317,200