What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Merchandise Planner position at The Digital Stronghold?
About Us
The Digital Stronghold is a modern commerce collective built around four distinctive, high-performance brands: Taylor Stitch, The Tie Bar, Boston Scally, and Pedal Mafia. Each brand stands on its own with a loyal community and a clear sense of purpose, yet together, they define what contemporary menswear looks like across lifestyle, tailoring, and performance apparel.
Our Values
- Own the outcome
- Move with purpose
- Speak truth, listen fully
- Learn and share
- Drop the ego
- Build for the long haul
About the Role
The Digital Stronghold is seeking a Merchandise Planner to support inventory strategy, forecasting, and merchandise planning initiatives for The Tie Bar, a premium menswear and accessories brand founded in Chicago over a decade ago.
This role will play a key part in balancing inventory across channels, supporting financial goals, and ensuring the right product is available at the right time. The ideal candidate is analytical, detail-oriented, and collaborative, with experience in merchandise planning within apparel, retail, or eCommerce environments.
You’ll work cross-functionally with buying, marketing, supply chain, eCommerce, and sales teams to help drive inventory optimization, assortment planning, and business performance across a fast-moving retail environment.
What You’ll Do:
Merchandise Planning & Forecasting
- Develop monthly, quarterly, and annual merchandise plans aligned with business objectives and sales targets
- Build and maintain demand forecasts based on historical sales data, seasonal trends, and market insights
- Support inventory planning and forecasting strategies to maximize product availability while minimizing excess inventory
- Manage open-to-buy budgets and provide reporting on performance, projections, and opportunities
Inventory Management & Optimization
- Monitor sales performance and inventory levels across channels, adjusting plans to meet changes in demand
- Analyze sell-through performance and inventory trends to identify opportunities for optimization
- Support allocation strategies to ensure timely and effective product distribution across markets
- Partner with supply chain teams to help manage product flow and delivery timelines
Product Assortment & Financial Performance
- Collaborate with buying teams to support assortment planning and sales forecasting initiatives
- Assist in monitoring sales, margin, and inventory performance against financial targets
- Provide analytical insights and recommendations related to assortment planning, inventory allocation, and sales performance
- Support planning adjustments tied to promotions, product launches, and evolving market conditions
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with Marketing, Buying, Supply Chain, Sales, and eCommerce teams to execute merchandise plans effectively
- Help align planning strategies with promotional calendars and broader business priorities
- Prepare regular reporting and performance updates for stakeholders and leadership teams
What We’re Looking For
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Merchandising, or a related field
- 3–5 years of merchandise planning experience, preferably within apparel, retail, or eCommerce environments
- Strong experience with inventory management, forecasting, and sales analysis
- Must be eligible to work in the US
- Advanced proficiency in Excel and experience using merchandise planning systems such as NetSuite
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high attention to detail
- Experience collaborating cross-functionally with buying, marketing, supply chain, sales, and eCommerce teams
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Experience supporting global markets and understanding regional consumer demand trends is a plus
Why Join Us?
At The Digital Stronghold, you’ll join a collaborative and entrepreneurial environment where thoughtful planning, creativity, and operational excellence come together to support a portfolio of distinctive brands. You’ll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact while helping shape the future growth of modern menswear and lifestyle brands.
If you’re passionate about retail planning, inventory strategy, and data-driven decision making, we’d love to hear from you.