Director of Merchandise Planning

Since 1986, our mission has been simple. We design and build heirloom quality products while holding true to our commitment to use earth-friendly materials and to give back whenever possible. We are looking for someone who shares our love of story-telling and believes passionately in the value of heirloom quality artisan furniture, sustainability, and our mission to continue to learn and grow as a brand.

The Director of Merchandise Planning is responsible for leading the Planners and Planning Analysts to achieve overall financial and inventory goals in close partnership with Merchandising, Supply Chain, Sourcing and Store Team Leadership. The position will be responsible for planning a category within their division, as well as lead, coach and develop the Planning team to achieve financial objectives including sales targets, gross margin, inventory and OTB management. This role will be critical in identifying risks and opportunities within the inventory and buy plans and driving action plans to mitigate those risks.

This person must be passionate about leading a team through process improvement, change management, people development as well as cultivating critical thinking skills and developing strategic mindset within the team to accelerate brand growth. The Director of Merchandise Planning & Allocation is responsible for creating and maintaining monthly and yearly financial plans for their assigned categories and effectively partnering with the Merchandising, Sourcing, Channel (Stores / Ecommerce) and Distribution & Logistics teams on identifying and implementing strategies to achieve the approved plans.

This position is located at the Arhaus Corporate Headquarters in Boston Heights, Ohio.

Responsibilities

MERCHANDISE FINANCIAL PLANNING

• Develop annual / seasonal / monthly category merchandise financial plans in accordance with company goals, historical performance and trend analysis.
• Continuously analyze and reforecast the Open to Buy and recommend / execute strategies to maximize opportunities and minimize risk.
• Develop and execute price actions to drive sales and margin across new products, promotions and markdowns.
• Set and communicate KPI targets and updates (e.g. SKU Count & Productivity, Sales, Margin and Inventory targets) to Merchandising partners

DEMAND PLANNING

• Create SKU level sales and inventory plans for seasonal Investment Reviews to ensure the correct inventory levels in place to support category plans
• Conduct detailed assortment/SKU hindsight analysis and present findings and actions to maximize SKU productivity, margin and turn
• Collaborate with Buyers, Product Development and Sourcing to ensure purchase orders align with inventory targets and will deliver the required sales volume, gross margin and inventory turn goals
• Communicate with vendors to ensure capacity, purchase orders and cost are aligned with financial plan goals and commitments

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

• Drive allocation and receipt strategy of inventory across multiple warehouses and stores to maximize delivered sales and product turn while minimizing cost
• Monitor and manage inventory levels throughout product lifecycle to stay in line with the turn and inventory plan, partnering with Sourcing and Vendors to adjust on order where appropriate
• Evaluate stock and sales by store or DC for replenishment product and make recommendations to balance inventory and drive SKU productivity

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

• Present merchandise and inventory strategies to cross-functional partners and Executive Leadership to gain alignment
• Identify and recommend changes in process to drive efficiencies

PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT

• Train and develop direct reports to improve forecast accuracy, identify and execute to address opportunities / risks within the business, strengthen communication and cross-functional collaboration to drive clear accountability and teamwork
• Lead, coach and develop team to achieve financial objectives including sales targets, gross margin, inventory and OTB management with greater forecast accuracy

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent business experience
• Minimum 7 years of experience in Merchandise Planning, Demand Planning, Inventory Management, Allocation or Buying
• Minimum 5 years of managing > 2 direct reports
• High proficiency in Excel, PPT, Data Analytics / BI Reporting platforms
• Thorough understanding of retail math
• Ability to analyze and report against financial metrics and draw out actionable insights
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, collaborate and influence cross functionally
• Self-motivated and able to work in a dynamic / fluid environment with efficiency, accuracy and sense of urgency
• Strong analytical curiosity and critical thinking / problem-solving skills
• Drive to problem-solve, continuously improve and execute
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

Arhaus is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Arhaus is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Arhaus are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Arhaus will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Arhaus encourages applicants of all ages.