Manager, Merchandise Planning

About the Role & Team

At Disney Consumer Products, we inspire imagination around the world and are committed to creating happiness for families and fans by bringing captivating, inspiring, and inclusive products into their daily lives.  From toys to t-shirts, console games, books, and more, our team brings our beloved brands and franchises into the lives of families through products and experiences that can be found worldwide, such as the Disney Store e-commerce platform, Disney Parks, local and international retailers, and Disney Store locations around the world.

The Domestic Parks Retail Planning organization is responsible for developing a strategic financial plan to drive growth and profitability and deliver on the Guest experience. The team is the foundation of the Domestic Parks Retail Channel and works in partnership with Merchandising, Sourcing, and Pricing to deliver a range of items relevant to Domestic Parks and Disney Cruiseline stories and experiences. 

As Manager, Merchandise Planning, you will be responsible for managing quarterly/annual financial strategies and assortments across multiple departments based on detailed knowledge of business insights and analytics, trends within the marketplace and guest mix at Theme Parks, Resorts, and Cruiseline.  You will be responsible for reacting to in-season performance/trends/learnings to adjust future season’s assortment and inventory position.  The Manager, Merchandise Planning demonstrates an understanding of all key financial performance indicators and can proactively identify, evaluate, and communicate with team members and senior planning leaders.   

You will report to the Sr. Manager, Merchandise Planning

This is a Full-Time role.

What You Will Do:

• Lead a team responsible for the development of Merchandise Category Plans including short-term weekly forecast, long-term monthly forecasts, and annual operating plans

• Drive the business with accountability to revenue and cost of goods

• Manage pre & in season planning, including forecasting and inventory open-to-buy management to drive growth and profitability

• Build high team morale and group commitment.  Provide leadership, guidance, and motivation to a high-performing team

• Manage multiple tasks, prioritize activities, and establish deadlines and work plans to achieve end goals

• Translate business performance drivers and metrics into insightful analysis and recommendations to influence merchandise direction

• Understand and evaluate white space opportunities for the business

• Identify pricing and liquidation opportunities for your division to manage inventory liability

• Ensure teams understand and utilize the tools available to purchase, analyze, and react to business trends

• Actively coach & develop team members’ skill sets to continually build bench strength and broaden career path opportunities

Required Qualifications & Skills

• 5+ years’ experience in merchandise planning or financial analysis. Accessories and apparel experience preferred.

• Demonstrated experience leading teams, developing talent, building morale, and inspiring and aligning the team around clear, achievable objectives

• Demonstrated strong responsibility, ownership, and pride in delivering quality results and understanding business impacts

• Demonstrated strong analytical skills in forecasting and open-to-buy management

• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across merchandising teams

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.  Proven ability to synthesize data into a concise story, then develop and present fact-based insights and recommendations to various levels of leadership

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to meet deadlines, handle multiple priorities, and perform job responsibilities accurately while working in a fast-paced, changing environment

• Self-starter with natural curiosity and the ability to deal with ambiguity

• Ability to work within a complex, matrix organization and find creative solutions

• Familiarity with retail planning software or systems, computer skills in MS Office, high proficiency in Excel and understanding of BI tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, mathematics, or other quantitative fields or equivalent experience

Additional Information:

Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities, and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits. 

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