Merchandise Planner

Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter’s Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.

HOW YOU’LL MAKE AN IMPACT:
Are you passionate about forecasting and planning? Carter’s is excited to offer an opportunity for a Merchandise Planner! In this role, you'll develop short- and mid-range financial plans and provide insights on long-term outlooks. The ideal candidate will have an entrepreneurial mindset, seeking growth opportunities and taking ownership of their plans. You'll collaborate with Allocation, Pricing, and Marketing teams to create strategies aligned with company goals.

*     Present seasonal buying strategies to leadership, aligning assortment strategies (store assortments, pricing, buy quantities) with financial goals to maximize sales, in-stock levels, and gross margin while managing inventory.
*     Manage 12-18 month forecasts for optimal replenishment flows, ensuring alignment with retail turn and supply goals.
*     Collaborate with Marketing and Pricing teams to gain pre-season alignment on promotional strategies.
*     Execute monthly or ad-hoc re-forecasts of financial plans to stay aligned with top-down goals, adjusting sales, margin, and inventory based on trends.
*     Partner with Finance to provide insights for long-range planning and growth strategies.
*     Quantify the impact of strategic, promotional, and assortment changes.
*     Collaborate with Allocation to execute store receipts, buy targets, launch minimums, and program setups.
*     Work with business process and IT teams to enhance system capabilities and resolve data discrepancies.
*     Provide ad-hoc business reports and analysis as needed.

WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF:
Must have:

• 4+ years of experience in planning principles, financial budgeting, retail fundamentals, ad hoc reporting and analysis
• Proficiency of retail math and analytics, planning principles, financial budgeting, retail fundamentals, ad hoc reporting and analysis
• Strong analytical skills, proficient with planning systems (e.g. Anaplan) and Microsoft Excel
• Work cross-functionally with Merchandise Analysts, Business Process teams and Merchandise Partners
• Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred skills and experience:

• Accountable, self-motivated leader with a hands-on, dynamic approach that drives both strategic and tactical financial results
• Strong communication and presentation skills. Poise and comfort presenting to all levels of leadership
• Experience managing and motivating team members 

OUR TEAM MEMBERS:

• Lead Courageously: Have a strong sense of personal values that align with our Company values
• Collaborates Broadly: Build cooperation, trust, and thrive in a consensus driven environment
• Customer Focus: Proactively seek opportunities to leverage data and fact-based insights to serve customers and/or internal clients
• Drive Growth: Set aggressive goals and implement plans precisely
• Cultivates Innovation:  Respectfully challenge the "we’ve always done it this way" mentality and explore new ways to achieve desired outcomes

MAKE A CAREER AT CARTER’S: 
Career Development: Success starts from within, and we have several paths from which you can choose to enhance your career evolution. From Carter’s University to Toastmasters to mentorship programs and more, we encourage you to utilize these tools to elevate your professional prowess. 
NOTE:  This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.
 

Carters is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.