Senior Merchandising and Planning Manager

Senior Merchandising & Planning Manager

Location: Los Angeles, CA (On-Site)

Reports To: VP of Operations

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly analytical and agile Senior Merchandising & Planning Manager to lead inventory planning, buying, forecasting, and assortment strategy across our DTC, retail, and wholesale channels.

This role will be responsible for developing and managing Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans, forecasting demand, optimizing inventory investments, and ensuring product availability while maximizing sell-through and profitability. The ideal candidate combines strong quantitative skills with a deep understanding of merchandising, inventory management, and the luxury fashion customer.

The Senior Merchandising & Planning Manager will serve as a key cross-functional partner to Design, Production, Operations, E-Commerce, Retail, and Wholesale teams, ensuring inventory decisions align with business objectives and growth plans.

Key ResponsibilitiesMerchandise Planning & Open-to-Buy Management

• Develop and manage seasonal, monthly, and weekly Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans.
• Determine inventory investment levels by category, style, color, and size.
• Build demand forecasts using historical sales, launch performance, marketing calendars, and growth assumptions.
• Identify inventory risks and opportunities and recommend actions to maximize profitability.
• Maintain rolling inventory forecasts and reforecast business performance regularly.

Buying & Assortment Planning

• Partner with Design and Leadership teams to develop seasonal assortment strategies.
• Determine buy quantities and depth by SKU, color, and size.
• Evaluate category performance and recommend assortment expansion or reduction.
• Analyze launch performance to inform future buys and replenishment decisions.
• Support line reviews and seasonal planning meetings with inventory and sales insights.

Inventory Management

• Maintain a constant view of inventory health across DTC, retail, wholesale, and warehouse locations.
• Monitor sell-through, weeks of supply, stock-to-sales ratios, and inventory turn.
• Identify potential stock-outs and overstock situations before they impact the business.
• Develop replenishment strategies for core and high-performing products.
• Create inventory action plans for slow-moving merchandise.
• Partner with Operations to ensure inventory accuracy and availability.

Forecasting & Reporting

• Produce weekly business reporting and inventory performance analysis.
• Analyze sales trends, customer demand, and product performance.
• Track key merchandising KPIs including: sell-through, inventory turn, weeks of supply, and gross margin
• Present recommendations and business insights to leadership.

Launch & Cross-Functional Planning

• Partner with Production and Operations to align deliveries with launch calendars.
• Participate in Go-To-Market meetings and seasonal planning reviews.
• Ensure inventory positions support marketing initiatives, promotions, and key launches.
• Collaborate with Retail and Wholesale teams on inventory allocations and replenishment strategies.
• Support pricing, markdown, and promotional planning decisions.

Qualifications

• 4–7 years of experience in Merchandise Planning, Inventory Planning, Buying, or Merchandising.
• Ability to work on-site at our Los Angeles headquarters Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
• Experience building and managing Open-to-Buy plans.
• Strong forecasting and inventory management experience.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Experience working within Shopify and inventory management systems.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen.
• Ability to translate data into actionable business recommendations.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills.
• Experience in luxury or premium fashion preferred.

Preferred Experience

• Shopify Plus
• Wholesale and DTC business models
• Retail store planning and replenishment
• Fashion apparel, swimwear, accessories, or luxury goods