Location: Dearborn
Department: Business Planning
Reports to: VP, Business Planning
Job Classification: Remote
FLSA: Exempt
Job Band: Executive
Job Summary
The Director of Merchandise & Demand Planning provides strategic leadership and direction in developing the merchandise plan and curate the indirect demand plan that aligns with the organization’s revenue, gross margin and inventory turn targets. This individual contributes to the success of the organization by establishing and cultivating key business relationships with cross-functional partners across Merchandising, Planning, Supply Planning, Business Units and Finance to deliver upon planned financial objectives including sales, gross margin, and inventory turn. As a key member of the Strategic Planning Process, this leader defines the 3-year category revenue plan by incorporating the global merchandise assortment vision with the distribution channel demand signals from all business units.
We Are All Leaders at Carhartt
In our words and by our actions, we strive to emulate the hardworking example set forth by our founder, Hamilton Carhartt. We Lead Business by creating value, delivering on results, and making changes along the way. We Lead Self by being inclusive, recognizing that our differences make us stronger as we strive to build a better world, together, for all hardworking people. We Lead Others by communicating and clearly defining the path as we walk bravely into the future. Working at Carhartt, we are all given a seat at the table and the honor of continuing the legacy.
Representative Responsibilities
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Coach, mentor and develop the Merchandise & Demand Planning team on best practices regarding assortment planning & analytics.
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In partnership with Finance & Merchandising, create and socialize preseason targets for revenue, margin, productivity and inventory investment, focusing on both product and business unit.
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Lead and communicate the development of product-level inventory strategies as part of the seasonal Go To Market Seasonal Merch Plan development and the season executional Open to Buy process.
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Annually, lead the creation of the 3-year category plan as part of the 3-year strategic planning process connecting consumer insights and product vision with business unit strategies.
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Collaborate with Merchandising to curate assortments & category merch plans into an accretive preseason plan for all Carhartt business units.
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Define requirements for and implement planning processes and system tools that deliver information on business performance, track against KPIs and provide analytics to enhance decision-making.
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Develop and implement forecasting strategies across multiple time horizons and aggregation levels to drive highest levels of forecast accuracy and align with other company metrics.
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Responsible for timely delivery of all the team’s deliverables and milestones per the “Go to Market” calendar.
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Maintain close communications with Supply Chain and Inventory Planning teams to understand in-season financial risk mitigation and opportunities and how that will impact future season sales and inventory plans. Provide insight and recommendations to cross functional partners to help act on the liability current and future inventory liability.
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Lead the monthly Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning (SIOP) process, collaborating with key stakeholders in Supply Planning, Business units, and Finance to understand market trends and develop or adjust demand plans to support business objectives for each category and market segment.
Required Education
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Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent years of experience
Required Skills & Experience
• Minimum of 12 years of experience in a planning or forecasting field.
• Minimum of 8 years of leadership experience with a history of developing and attracting talent.
• Minimum 3 years of industry experience in apparel.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with a proven ability to communicate with all levels including management and retail partners.
• Outstanding organizational skills with demonstrated ability to prioritize workload, delegate work and concurrently manage multiple projects.
• High level of analytical thinking with strong aptitude for retail math and forecasting methodology.
• Experience establishing and executing an open to buy process within an organization having both direct and indirect channels.
• Comprehensive understanding of apparel buying/production process with the ability to understand and influence merchandising process.
• Flexible team player who thrives in environments requiring ability to effectively prioritize and juggle multiple concurrent projects.
• Motivated self-starter who takes initiative. Confident, hard-working employee who is committed to achieving excellence.
• Strong technical analytical skills (MS Office and Planning tools) are needed, along with excellent ability to translate data analysis into proposed actions.
Physical Requirements and Working Conditions
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Typical office environment; cubicle/office setting.
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Extended periods of time sitting, standing, typing on a computer.
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Travel required up to 25% of time (may include international).
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This position has a Remote location: Associate will have no regular requirement to be on-site. Travel on-site is limited to special events.
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Carhartt is a tobacco free workplace.
Carhartt offers a competitive salary and benefits. For more details, please refer to the benefits section on our website at Carhartt Benefits.
Carhartt is committed to equal opportunity for all. Carhartt associates are hired, promoted, and rewarded on basis of skill, performance, and dedication and not influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other basis prohibited by applicable laws.
Please Note: 1. All associates are required to understand and act in accordance with the Carhartt Core Values. 2. Carhartt reserves the right to change, modify, suspend, interpret or cancel in whole or in any part, the job duties outlined above at any time and without advance notice to the employee.
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