Manager, Merch Planning

Our client is a California-based fashion, beauty, and wellness company seeking an experienced Manager, Planning (Merchandise Planning Manager) to lead merchandise planning for its fashion label while supporting supply planning across the beauty division and inventory analysis for its multi-brand business.

Reporting directly to the Senior Director, Planning, you will partner closely with Merchandising, Buying, Supply Chain, Product Development, Wholesale, Retail, Ecommerce, Amazon, and Finance to develop demand forecasts, inventory investment strategies, and supply plans that support the company’s financial objectives.

This is a highly analytical and cross-functional role for someone who is equally comfortable building detailed financial plans and influencing business decisions. The ideal candidate has strong commercial judgment and the confidence to make data-driven recommendations including advising the business to reduce or delay inventory investments when the potential risk outweighs the expected return.

What You’ll Do

• Lead Open-to-Buy management for the fashion label, developing receipt plans aligned with sales forecasts, inventory targets, margin expectations, and cash flow objectives.
• Continuously evaluate business performance and recommend changes to inventory investments, including reducing, delaying, or accelerating receipts as conditions evolve.
• Own preseason and in-season merchandise plans by collection, category, channel, and month.
• Build bottoms-up sales, demand, inventory, and receipt plans at the collection, SKU, and channel levels.
• Partner with Merchandising to develop size-curve forecasts by style, color, and size.
• Translate demand forecasts into purchase-order recommendations, receipt timing, and inventory requirements in partnership with Buying and Supply Chain.
• Develop inventory allocation recommendations across Ecommerce and Retail.
• Monitor inventory productivity, Weeks of Supply, sell-through, and stock position.
• Recommend replenishment, markdown, allocation, and inventory-mitigation actions based on business performance.
• Support supply planning for the beauty division by maintaining demand forecasts, supply plans, and replenishment visibility for finished goods and components.
• Proactively identify and address potential stockouts, low Weeks of Supply, and excess inventory risks.
• Partner with Wholesale, Ecommerce, Retail, Amazon, Merchandising, and Finance to align sales forecasts and inventory investments.
• Analyze weekly business performance and recommend actions to improve sales, inventory productivity, margin, and profitability.
• Prepare executive reporting, planning analysis, and recommendations for business reviews.
• Maintain and continuously improve planning tools, forecasting models, and reporting processes.

• At least 5 years of merchandise planning experience within fashion or specialty retail.
• Direct experience owning Open-to-Buy plans and making inventory investment decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to build and manage bottoms-up financial plans at the SKU, category, and channel levels.
• Strong understanding of merchandise planning metrics, including sell-through, Weeks of Supply, inventory turnover, margin, receipts, and stock position.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience using planning, ERP, or business intelligence systems such as NetSuite, Looker, or equivalent platforms.
• Proven experience partnering with Merchandising, Buying, Supply Chain, Finance, and Ecommerce teams to align forecasts and improve business performance.
• Strong analytical ability and commercial judgment, including confidence making conservative inventory recommendations when risk outweighs potential return.
• Excellent communication and executive-reporting skills.
• Ability to translate complex inventory and performance data into clear, practical recommendations for senior leadership.

• Experience in supply or demand planning within beauty, wellness, CPG, or a multi-brand environment.
• Experience forecasting and planning finished goods and components.
• Exposure to omnichannel planning across Ecommerce, Retail, Wholesale, and Amazon.
• Experience with size-curve forecasting, allocation, replenishment, and markdown planning.

• Excel, NetSuite or equivalent planning systems, Looker or similar analytics/reporting platforms, and inventory management software for tracking WOS, sell-through, and stock positions.