What are the responsibilities and job description for the Merchandise Planner 2 (Senior Assortment Planner) position at HireTalent - Staffing & Recruiting Firm?
Job Title: Merchandise Planner 2 (Senior Assortment Planner)
Location: On-site Beaverton OR | Work from Home on Fridays
Duration: 12 Months Contract
Job Summary
We are seeking a Merchandise Planner 2 (Senior Assortment Planner) to drive end-to-end merchandise planning strategies. This role partners closely with Merchandising and Enterprise Business Planning teams to deliver consumer-centric assortments grounded in profitability, productivity, and financial targets.
The ideal candidate will manage planning from seasonal strategy through in-season optimization, leveraging data, retail math, and cross-functional collaboration.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop seasonal buy plans and monthly forecasts (sales, margin, inventory at style-color level)
- Own and manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning and bottoms-up forecasting
- Drive in-season optimization through weekly business analysis and forecasting
- Present financial plans in seasonal and monthly OTB meetings
- Partner cross-functionally with Merchandising, Planning, Allocation, and Marketing teams
- Analyze weekly business performance and provide actionable insights (risks & opportunities)
- Lead inventory planning and management using data and analytics tools
- Support product lifecycle planning and execution
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree (preferred)
- 2–4 years of experience in merchandise planning / retail planning
- Strong Excel skills (advanced level preferred – pivot tables, VLOOKUP, data analysis)
- Solid understanding of retail math & Open-to-Buy (OTB) management
- Experience working in a cross-functional / matrix environment
- General understanding of retail operations