Senior Merchandise Planner

VICI is the ultimate shopping destination for the modern fashionista. Our assortment covers women’s apparel, accessories, footwear, and handbags. We offer an on-trend assortment with capsule-like weekly drops, featured shops, influencer collaborations, and curated daily drops focused on our customers’ lives and the styling inspiration they need. Much of our assortment is exclusive and made with our customers’ shopping preferences and feedback top of mind. We buy and design sophisticated, trend right, and modern styles we know our customers will love. 

What started as a small family-owned business, has grown since its start in 2012, to a brand with a strong online and social presence. Affordability, quality, and customer service are at the center of our brand and we always strive to ensure our customers are satisfied with their VICI experience. From opening our Nashville retail store to launching pop ups in Newport Beach and Venice Beach, VICI is increasing its retail footprint to bring more awareness to the brand. We are just getting started and excited about what the future holds!

Summary/Objective:

The Senior Merchandise Planner plays a pivotal role in our organization, driving strategic collaboration with finance, marketing, and merchandising teams to achieve financial and inventory objectives. This position requires effective communication and presentation skills to secure buy-in from leadership on forecast and inventory strategies. In this role, you will oversee all planning activities, including the development of comprehensive financial sales, gross margin, and inventory plans for all departments.

Essential Functions:

Forecast Sales Performance and Assess Risk & Opportunities:

·        Collaborate with finance, operations, and merchandising teams to create and maintain monthly and weekly sales and margin forecasts.

·        Proactively identify financial risks and opportunities, addressing concerns promptly through cross-functional collaboration.

·        Develop forecasts for new product rollouts, influencer collaborations, and promotions using historical data and market trends.

·        Continuously analyze and update forecasts based on industry trends and changes in marketing and sales plans.

Collaborate and Influence Cross-Functional Teams (CFT):

·        Cultivate a collaborative, innovative, and results-oriented environment within the cross-functional team.

·        Partner with the buying team to create assortment and inventory plans, utilizing historical and trend SKU productivity performance.

·        Provide strategic recommendations for promotions and product features to optimize inventory while maximizing sales and margin.

Own Inventory Strategies:

·        Create and maintain Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans to maximize monthly sales, profit, and inventory turns.  Partner with buying to ensure open-to-buy targets are filled appropriately and in a timely manner.

·        Analyze inventory turns, sell-through rates, and other key performance indicators to identify opportunities for improvement.

·        Develop replenishment forecasts by sku and provide recommendations to buying for re-orders and color extensions.

·        Manage seasonality and End-of-Life (EOL) for products, planning and executing markdowns, and analyzing aged inventory.

Analyze Business Performance and Share Insights:

·        Optimize product data and reporting to provide insights on product performance.

·        Produce department recaps, weekly selling, and best-sellers reports.

·        Create quarterly hindsight reports to drive strategic assortment decisions for future quarters and in-season management. 

·        Analyze results tied to fit, quality and vendor performance and provide insights to buying team.

·        Develop ad-hoc analytical reports and tools to meet evolving business needs.

Qualifications, Education, Experience:

·        6+ years of Inventory or Merchandise Planning experience; high SKU count e-commerce experience is a plus.

·        Thrive in a fast-paced hyper-growth environment, with the ability to adapt and shift focus based on business needs.

·        Ability to work independently and collaboratively, demonstrating self-motivation.

·        Strong problem-solving skills and a willingness to think creatively to resolve issues.

·        Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.

·        Knowledge of standard applications (Slack, Office365, Chrome, etc.).

·        Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.

·        Familiarity with NetSuite is advantageous.

Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time position

VICI is committed to growing and empowering a more inclusive community within our company, and industry. That is why we hire and cultivate diverse teams of the best and brightest from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. VICI is an equal opportunity employer and dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, pregnancy status, veteran status, or disability status. We believe that a variety of perspectives will make our teams and business stronger.