Assistant Brand Category Planner

This position is an analytic and supporting role for WSI’s Global Inventory Management team. The responsibility will include the planning and purchasing for our company-owned stores and websites. This position will develop and execute demand forecasting and inventory management; ensuring the right balance of assortment investments and accurate inventory flow in optimizing inventory, maximizing sales and profitability while driving business initiatives in partnership with cross-functional teams towards meeting divisional financial targets and brand strategies.
Reports to Manager/Senior Planner, Inventory Management.

**Pre-Season**:

- Partner with the merchant team to develop annual and seasonal financial plans that support the brand strategies. - Partner with merchants to establish seasonal assortment roll-up plans, both top-down and at SKU level and ensure the right balance of inventory optimization on newness and core business vs plan sales and merchandising strategies.
- Analyze business performance, SKU productivity, and trends and provide hind sights to identify opportunities and drive pre-season strategy and assortment plans.
- Partner with the Merchant team to resolve SKU issues to ensure they do not negatively impact brand performance.
- Ensure SKU plans are completed and passed to achieve PO placement deadlines and address any issues that impede this goal for core and seasonal products.
- Manage successful placement and accurate tracking of brand Global purchase orders.

**In-Season**:

- Review current business and partner with merchant team to take appropriate actions to maximize sales, margin, and inventory productivity (daily, weekly, monthly) at all levels.
- Partner with the merchant team to develop 12 monthly rolling financial forecasts that support the brand strategy and maximize sales and margin within inventory budgets.
- Analyze inventory levels and ensure inventory levels support brand strategy, minimize stock-outs and manage inventory flow to ensure appropriate in-stock rates are achieved for core product and seasonal launches.
- Analyze and build promotional plans in partnership with the merchant team to update, plan exit strategies, and accurately forecast monthly promotional plans that support sales, margin, and inventory goals achievement.
- Manage seasonal promotional plans in Relex planning tool and plan SKU level demand forecast and re-order plans to maximize SKU productivity and achieve inventory optimization.
- Manage placement and tracking of brand Global purchase orders in collaboration with the order management team and identify solutions to resolve falls out.
- Proactively and collaboratively address any shortcomings or opportunities to improve tools and processes.
- Collaborate with the allocation team on allocation parameters and flow quantities to support promotional activity, high-seasonal holidays, markdown replenishment, and in-store events.
- Collaborate with order Management, supply chain, logistics, and distribution functions to identify and resolve supply chain and shipment timeline issues.

Ongoing:

- Provide analytical reporting.
- Completes other duties and responsibilities as assigned by supervisor. - Proactively evaluate on reports, tools, and process flow to assess and give recommendations where improvements can be made.
- Build and maintain strong cross-functional collaboration as an integral partner across merchandising, retail, marketing, visual, allocation, sourcing, logistics, and distribution centers to achieve goals.
- Actively participate in creating and maintaining a positive team environment.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES:

- 2-3 years’ experience in a role with analytical/strategic responsibilities - Retail industry experience a plus.
- Possess Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
- Proficiency in Advanced Microsoft Excel (eg. Formulas, Pivot tables, V-Lookup etc) is a must
- Meticulous and detail-oriented with strong follow through
- Strong organizational skills & ability to multi-task
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
- Able to deliver results by influencing internal and external partners.
- Superior written and spoken communication, listening, and presentation skills.

Founded in 1956, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the premier specialty retailer of home furnishings in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, United Kingdom and the rest of the world with franchise partnerships. Our family of brands are Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm, Williams-Sonoma Home, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham. Our passion for high-quality products, functional design, outstanding customer service, enhancing the lives of our customers and the communities remains as our core values.

Today, we are a USD 5 billion company, with a multi-brand, multi-channel, global enterprise supported by state-of-the-art technology and some of the most talented teams in retailing