Merchandise Planner, Women’s Core/Trend/pl Shoes

Saks OFF 5TH is the premier luxury off-price destination. In its more than 100 stores in the U.S. and Canada, and online, at SaksOFF5TH.com, the company provides the best names in fashion at an incredible value through its merchandise authority, unparalleled brand access and seamless connection between ecommerce and stores.

What This Position Is All About:

The Merchandise Planner is accountable for achieving Omni Channel sales, profit and inventory turnover objectives for their merchandise departments through effective in-season and pre-season business management. A key part of the role will be the planning and influencing inventory level at the store/store cluster/channel to maximize turn and support the company's efforts around store clustering. The Merchandise Planner partners closely with the Merchant and Planning teams and is accountable for developing assortment plans, store clustering and strategies to maximize omni opportunities and minimize risks. This is a unique opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment, drive merchant processes and lead for results through collaboration, effective communication and development of others.

Who Are You:

• Action-oriented: Not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning. Seizes opportunities more than others. Armed with enough information to make good business decisions quickly.
• Embracing Ambiguity: Shifts gears comfortably. Can decide and act without having the total picture. Comfortable handling risk and uncertainty.
• Strategic Agility: Sees ahead clearly. Can anticipate future consequences and outcomes accurately
• Decision Making: Makes decisions in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure
• Perseverance: Able to push through to closure, even with business challenges or setbacks. Motivates team to maintain focus
• Interpersonal Savvy: Able to influence internal parties. Navigates healthy push/pull with partners (maintain financial discipline and still have flexibility).
• Learning on the fly: Able to learn quickly and be open to change. Able to grasp the underlying issue and path to resolution, especially in problem solving. Able to develop own resources. Balances analysis vs gut.
• Time management/priority: Uses time effectively and efficiently. Able to shift priorities as needed and manage multiple competing priorities at the same time. Can attend to a broad scope of activities.
• Career ambition/Self-development: Strong knowledge of self. Able to articulate and utilize strengths, while creating a plan to develop areas of opportunity. Able to size up situations and flex personal style as needed.
• Curious/Challenges Status Quo: Able to "fail fast, fail cheap". Creative problem solver.
• Able to operate with speed: Enjoys fast pace. Focused on completion.
• Effective Leadership: Able to provide quick and clear direction to team with defined priorities. Empowers direct reports. Able to lead teams through ambiguity and change.

You Also Have:

• Bachelors Degree required
• 5+ years experience in buying and/or planning
• Advanced computer skills in Excel required (v-lookups, pivot tables, complex formulas, etc.)
• Ability to learn technical systems quickly - Superb analytic skills required

As The Merchandise Planner you will:

Business Acumen:

• Creates a strategic vision for the business/has broad view of how business works. Uses data to make prudent and effective business decisions. Knowledgeable in key policies, processes, trends, practices. Anticipates business changes and responds quickly and judiciously.
• Drives in-season opportunities and makes business recommendations at department class/brand level. Accountable for sales and stock by door/channel.
• Develop, consolidate and communicate a comprehensive assortment pre-season/in-season planning strategy that identifies opportunities and risks at the store cluster/channel level by class and vendor.
• Recommends order flow and style depth and breadth.
• Builds allocation strategies focused on store clusters, customer profiles and opportunities by store/channel.
• Effectively communicates product placement strategies with the Allocation team.
• Ensures best practices for assortment planning with a focus on store clusters.

Business Driver:

• Acts as an owner/operator. Reacts quickly to business opportunities and takes calculated risks. Demonstrates business agility focused on in-season strategies and processes. Comfortable with ambiguity and able to make effective business decisions.

Analytical:

• Able to synthesize data from all aspects of the business and multiple data points to quickly size risks and opportunities.
• Recognizes opportunities for improvements and builds processes and tools to support.

Business Pulse:

• Has a strong sense of current business at any given moment and knows how to change game plan.
• Evaluate purchase order placement activity and partners with Buying team and reconciling adjustments.
• Understands nuances of Brick and Mortar vs Digital business and the assortment needs of each.

Strong Negotiator:

• Can be assertive as well as diplomatic. Knows the competition and uses market knowledge.
• Opportunistic and creative mindset: Knows how to drive opportunities.

Build Partnerships:

• Partner with Store Ops on store clustering to target growth opportunities.
• Provide analysis and research to support the creation of the assortment matrix and buy plans.
• Work with marketing team on promotions/event pricing and forecasts.
• Collaborate with Digital Planning and Marketing on key initiatives for online business.

The pay range for this position at commencement of employment is expected to be between $100,000 and $11,000/year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits), dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if a candidate receives an offer of employment.

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Your Life and Career at Saks OFF 5TH:

• Be part of an empowered, innovative team; work with an adventurous spirit and a customer-centric mindset; play a critical role in making decisions that will position us to win
• Exposure to rewarding career advancement opportunities across different functions within our corporate offices, retail stores, photo studios, and distribution centers
• A culture that promotes a flexible work environment
• Benefits package for all eligible full-time employees (including medical, dental and vision)
• An amazing employee discount and other exciting perks