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:

The Carter’s Retail Planning team is responsible for developing short and mid-range merchandise strategies, buy quantification and financial plans. You'll collaborate with Merchandising, Allocations, Pricing, Location Planning and Marketing teams to achieve key financial objectives for Carter's Retail.

The Planner is a critical member of the team focusing on the day-to-day operations of the Planning office and contributes directly to supporting company-wide initiatives that will ensure Carter’s remains a leading

children’s brand.

This role supports the Planning team with relevant data to drive the business and collaborates with cross-functional partners to ensure the key strategies are executed. We are looking for a candidate who will take ownership of their plans, possesses strong organizational skills, is energized by multi-tasking in a fast-paced environment and is curious about business trends and analytics, consistently seeking growth opportunities.

40% Pre-Season Strategy and Financial Plans

• Manage topside category level financial growth targets to inform the seasonal product line structure, in partnership with Merchandising and Location Planning teams.
• Present seasonal buying strategies to leadership, aligning assortment strategies with financial goals to maximize sales and gross margin while managing inventory.
• Support new growth opportunities through analysis of historical performance and profitability in alignment with cross functional partner strategies.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Planning and Pricing teams to implement and report out on cross- functional growth initiatives.

30% In-Season Plan Management

• Coordinate specified projects, tasks, and/or deliverables; understand objectives, identify resources, meet set timelines, communicate results to business partners.
• Hindsight current business and make recommendations on category changes and style level needs for future buys to support financial targets.
• 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.

30% Analytics:

• Perform ad hoc analysis which enables tactical and strategic decision making. Provide direction and make recommendations.
• Provide analytical support to the Planning team by quantifying impact of strategic and assortment changes
• Provide analysis to business partners in support of growth initiatives, projects and current business needs
• Simplify processes; explore and leverage business intelligence tools for reporting

We’d Love to hear from you if:

Must have:

• 4+ years of experience in Retail Buying and/or Retail Planning environment required
• Proficiency of retail math and analytics, financial budgeting and ad hoc reporting and analysis
• Strong understanding of a retail product assortment, breadth and depth, promotional pricing and entrance and exit strategies
• Motivated self starter, takes ownership and enjoys stepping up feels comfortable in spotlight when needed
• Passionate about growth, loves finding ways to grow and improve the business
• Expert analytical skills, proficient with planning systems (e.g. Anaplan) and Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)
• Bachelor’s degree required

Preferred skills and experience:

• Self-motivated and analytical. Ability to think strategically and provide actionable insights
• Strong communication and presentation skills. Poise and comfort presenting to all levels of leadership
• Knowledge of Tableau

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.