What are the responsibilities and job description for the Merchandise Planner position at Lucky In Love?
Role Overview
The Merchandise Planner owns the financial and inventory plan of the business from end to end.
This role ensures every product is set up to be profitable, inventory is aligned with demand, and the business is executed against clear financial targets. You will connect merchandising, production, and sales to ensure the product shows up on time, sells through, and drives margin.
This is not a reporting role. This is an ownership role.
Key Responsibilities
- Financial Planning and Line Plan Ownership
- Build and maintain seasonal and annual financial line plans across sales, margin, inventory, and units
- Ensure all products are planned to hit target gross margins
- Plan the business by category, style, and channel with clear visibility into risk and opportunity
- Identify core products and ensure appropriate depth and continuity
- Adjust forecasts based on performance and business needs
Product Profitability and Performance
- Analyze prior collections to identify best sellers, misses, and margin drivers
- Provide recommendations on pricing, costing, and assortment
- Ensure strong IMU and margin structure across all products
- Monitor performance against plan and take action to close gaps
Inventory and Off-Price Management
- Own inventory strategy to balance sell through, depth, and risk
- Monitor and manage off price exposure to protect brand and margin
- Identify excess inventory early and recommend actions
- Maintain a healthy mix of full price and off-price business
Production and Delivery Coordination
- Enter and manage all production orders based on the financial plan
- Track orders from placement through delivery to ensure on time arrival
- Manage all production order status updates once orders are in motion
- Monitor timelines set by the Head of Production and flag risks early
- Communicate any delays or changes to Sales and Operations
- Ensure deliveries align with launch timing and demand
Cross Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Merchandising, Design, Production, and Sales
- Participate in sales meetings with clear insights and recommendations
- Align product, inventory, and financial plans across teams
- Act as the connector between product, numbers, and execution
Reporting and Business Insights
- Own weekly and monthly reporting on sales, margin, inventory, and sell through
- Translate data into clear, actionable insights
- Identify risks early and recommend solutions
- Continuously refine forecasts based on performance
What Success Looks Like
- Products launch with clear margin targets and hit them
- Inventory is clean, controlled, and aligned with demand
- Off price is intentional, not reactive
- Best sellers are identified early and scaled
- Production is on time and predictable
- The business runs against a clear, data driven plan
Qualifications
- 4 to 8 years in merchandise planning or inventory planning, apparel preferred
- Strong understanding of retail math, margin, and inventory management
- Experience building financial line plans and managing product lifecycle
- Strong Excel and analytical skills
- Ability to work cross functionally and influence decisions
- Ownership mindset with strong attention to detail
Salary : $80,000 - $85,000