Sr. Director Merchandise Planning
Brand: WH|BM
Location: Corporate - Fort Myers, FL
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Job Description

POSITION OBJECTIVE:

The Senior Director, Merchandise Planning is responsible for the directing the Item Lifecycle Management for the Brand while developing and leading the Planning team responsible for the merchandise planning. Analyzes current business trends, market feedback, and historical data and makes appropriate recommendations.   Serves as the key liaison with the DMM of the businesses they support in the development of the plans to achieve agreed upon financial targets. 

 
FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Develop, execute and communicate strategic merchandise financial plans and strategies that support the merchandising, marketing and financial objectives of the brand
  • Drive financial results that maximize sales, inventory and bottom line profitability
  • Direct the development of pre-season sales, gross margin and inventory plans that support product strategies
  • Prepare and participate in Merchandise Review meetings (MBR, Seasonal Hindsight)
  • Oversee the development, analysis, and revision of category assortment plans for sales, margin realization, inventory and profit (tops down and bottoms up). Ensure that the Planning team translates plan changes to impact on CAP
  • Direct the financial success of the brand by meeting sales, comp, gross margin, maintained margin and inventory turn goals; Manage fiscal lifecycle for all products
  • Recommend seasonal merchandise flow strategies that maximize sales, profitability and customer expectations
  • Analyze historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities to business and recommend strategies to achieve financial goals; conduct hindsight analysis to incorporate learnings into current plans
  • Direct the partnership between planning and merchandising to develop and approve category assortment plans for season and analyze product history and current trends
  • Analyze financial performance to pre-season strategies and recommend strategic shifts, as required
  • Provide support to Merchandising to actively manage product assortment throughout season (inventory, MDs, etc.)
  • Participates in cross-functional initiatives to develop processes and systems to support the forecasting, replenishment and allocation activities necessary to support the brand. Represents business priorities with support organizations (Logistics, Finance, Merchandising)
  • Recruits and develops a high performance team including organization design, formal and informal training/coaching, leadership development and performance management.
 
COMPETENCIES:
  • Building Effective Teams
Blends people into teams when needed; creates strong morale and spirit in his/her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.      
 
  • Customer Focus                                  
Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of internal and external customers; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.                        
 
  • Dealing with Ambiguity                                 
Can effectively cope with change; can shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture; isn't upset when things are up in the air; doesn't have to finish things before moving on; can comfortably handle risk and uncertainty.      
           
  • Decision Quality                                
Makes good decisions (without considering how much time it takes) based upon a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; most of his/her solutions and suggestions turn out to be correct and accurate when judged over time; sought out by others for advice and solutions.  
 
  • Drive for Results                                  
Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.      
 
  • Managerial Courage                         
Doesn't hold back anything that needs to be said; provides current, direct, complete, and "actionable" positive and corrective feedback to others; lets people know where they stand; faces up to people problems on any person or situation (not including direct reports) quickly and directly; is not afraid to take negative action when necessary.                              
  • Managing Vision and Purpose                                  
Communicates a compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose; talks beyond today; talks about possibilities; is optimistic; creates mileposts and symbols to rally support behind the vision; makes the vision sharable by everyone; can inspire and motivate entire units or organizations.
 
  • Political Savvy                        
Can maneuver through complex political situations effectively and quietly; is sensitive to how people and organizations function; anticipates where the land mines are and plans his/her approach accordingly; views corporate politics as a necessary part of organizational life and works to adjust to that reality; is a maze-bright person.
                       
  • Self Knowledge                                  
Knows personal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and limits; seeks feedback; gains insights from mistakes; is open to criticism; isn't defensive; is receptive to talking about shortcomings; looks forward to balanced (+'s and -'s) performance reviews and career discussions.
                                   
  • Total Work Systems                            
Is dedicated to providing organization or enterprise-wide common systems for designing and measuring work processes; seeks to reduce variances in organization processes; delivers the highest quality products and services which meet the needs and requirements of internal and external customers; is committed to continuous improvement through empowerment and management by data; leverages technology to positively impact quality; is willing to re-engineer processes from scratch; is open to suggestions and experimentation; creates a learning environment leading to the most efficient and effective work processes.
 

 QUALIFICATIONS:

  • BA/BS degree in Finance or Business or a related field from an accredited institution
  • 8-10 years of planning or financial analysis experience in specialty retail – women’s apparel strongly preferred
  • 5-7 years of merchandise planning, allocation or financial management experience in a SKU-intensive product category
  • 5-7 years of experience with a replenishable business
  • Charismatic team player that exhibits excellent team work abilities. Ability to build teams, to set challenging standards of achievement, to lead others to action, and motivate people to achieve results.
  • Strong communication and negotiation skills. Ability to work with multiple partners to resolve exceptions and negotiate best alternatives.
  • Strong analytical skills. Ability to analyze complex quantitative data and utilize in making best decisions.
  • Flexibility to shift focus/priorities at a moment’s notice.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office applications with emphasis in Excel and Access.
  • JDA experience a plus.
  • Quarterly store travel may be required.
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NOTICE: Chico's FAS, Inc. and its affiliates (“Chico’s”) do not accept unsolicited candidate referrals or resumes from recruitment agencies. Chico's will not be responsible or liable for any fees or costs associated with such unsolicited submissions.