What are the responsibilities and job description for the Head of Merchandise Planning position at On?
In short
As the Head of Merchandise Planning, Americas, you will chart the course and set the strategic direction for all financial and product planning across the region. This role requires simplifying complexity to drive profitable growth, ensuring seamless alignment between global strategies and local execution across all channels. You will champion a culture of data-informed decision-making, operational excellence, and accountability, acting as a crucial leader for the Merchandising function. Reporting to the Director of Merchandising, you will lead a high-performing and growing planning team to optimize assortment efficiency and support On's overall strategic priorities.
Your mission
On is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate. Our distinctive approach combines a supportive, team-oriented atmosphere, with access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being, so each person is led by purpose.
On is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a work environment that is fair and inclusive, where all decisions related to recruitment, advancement, and retention are free of discrimination. We are requesting that you provide sensitive demographic information such as gender identity and race/ethnicity to help us ensure that we are creating equitable and fair experiences for all potential future team members. You are not required to provide this demographic information and this information will in no way impact your eligibility for hire.
As the Head of Merchandise Planning, Americas, you will chart the course and set the strategic direction for all financial and product planning across the region. This role requires simplifying complexity to drive profitable growth, ensuring seamless alignment between global strategies and local execution across all channels. You will champion a culture of data-informed decision-making, operational excellence, and accountability, acting as a crucial leader for the Merchandising function. Reporting to the Director of Merchandising, you will lead a high-performing and growing planning team to optimize assortment efficiency and support On's overall strategic priorities.
Your mission
- Set the strategic direction for the Americas Merchandise Planning function, defining goals, structures, and processes to drive target growth, successful sell-in’s, inventory health, and assortment productivity
- Drive and align the regional planning process, translating the global product vision and commercial objectives into a comprehensive, data-backed financial and unit-level plan across wholesale and DTC channels
- Lead the team in complex and detailed financial forecasting, long-range planning, ensuring fiscal responsibility and anticipating potential risks and trade-offs
- Cultivate effective, collaborative relationships across a wide network of peers and leaders in Global Planning, Merchandising, Sales, and Finance to ensure all plans align with On's broader strategic priorities
- Provide clear, simplified narratives and compelling recommendations to senior leaders and executive teams, facilitating informed decision-making even when information is limited or contradictory
- Break down complexity and create cohesiveness and alignment for the planning team, empowering them to deliver strategic value and hold them accountable for their outcomes
- Champion innovation within the planning domain, continuously seeking to improve processes and system integration (e.g., Anaplan, D365, BI platforms) to enhance accuracy, speed, and efficiency
- You bring 9 years of progressive functional experience in merchandise planning, demand planning, or a related commercial finance role, ideally at a premium or performance-oriented global retailer
- You have 4 years of direct people leadership experience, leading teams across multiple functions, and highlighting team scale and business unit or regional breadth
- Skilled at strategic alignment, you consistently map out and organize work to break down priorities into realistic projects and structures that incorporate necessary checks and balances
- A master of informed decision-making, you make sound choices even with limited information, relying on a combination of analysis, experience, and judgment, and know when a swift solution is sufficient
- You are adept at synthesizing people and interests, anticipating and integrating the concerns of various teams and stakeholders to align outputs with diverse interests and needs
- You have deep experience in a fast-paced, matrixed organization, successfully balancing the need to optimize team performance with the contribution to cross-functional and organizational priorities
On is a place that is centered around growth and progress. We offer an environment designed to give people the tools to develop holistically – to stay active, to learn, explore and innovate. Our distinctive approach combines a supportive, team-oriented atmosphere, with access to personal self-care for both physical and mental well-being, so each person is led by purpose.
On is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a work environment that is fair and inclusive, where all decisions related to recruitment, advancement, and retention are free of discrimination. We are requesting that you provide sensitive demographic information such as gender identity and race/ethnicity to help us ensure that we are creating equitable and fair experiences for all potential future team members. You are not required to provide this demographic information and this information will in no way impact your eligibility for hire.