Merchandise Planner

THIS JOB IS ON-SITE, NOT ELIGIBLE FOR HYBRID OR REMOTE, BASED IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Description

We’re a team built for life outdoors—driven by a passion for the water, the woods, and the people who live for both. Through our brands, Huk and Nomad, we design high-performance fishing and hunting apparel that works as hard as the environments they’re made for. From early casts to last light in the field, everything we create is rooted in purpose, innovation, and a deep respect for the outdoors.

Position Overview

As a Merchandise Planner, you’ll own the story behind our inventory—connecting numbers, trends, and real-world demand to make sure the right product lands in the right place at the right time. You’ll drive planning across our DTC business (ecommerce and retail), building demand forecasts, managing inventory flow, and partnering across teams to keep the business moving forward. This role is equal parts strategy and execution. You’ll zoom out to see the full picture, then dive into the details that make it all work.

Key Responsibilities

Forecasting & Business Planning

• Build and manage demand forecasts using historical data, trend analysis, and in-season performance
• Develop seasonal buy plans that align with revenue, margin, and inventory targets
• Continuously refine forecasts based on business trends, product performance, and market shifts
• Document, validate, and evolve key forecasting assumptions, incorporating inputs from cross-functional partners

Inventory Management & Optimization

• Own inventory levels across assigned categories, balancing availability, turnover, and profitability
• Ensure core and evergreen styles remain in stock through proactive planning and forecasting
• Identify risks of excess or shortage early and take action to course correct

Open-to-Buy & Financial Ownership

• Manage and maintain open-to-buy for assigned categories
• Evaluate performance against plan and recommend adjustments to maximize inventory productivity
• Partner with Finance to ensure alignment with financial targets and budgets

Data Analysis & Insights

• Analyze sales, inventory, and ecommerce performance data to uncover actionable insights
• Translate complex data into clear recommendations that drive business decisions
• Leverage advanced Excel skills to manipulate data, build models, and support decision-making

Inventory Flow & Execution

• Oversee purchase order timing and ensure alignment with production schedules
• Monitor production order due dates to ensure POs are submitted accurately and on time
• Track inbound shipments and manage ETA accuracy to support launches and key business moments
• Proactively recommend expedited shipping or adjustments when timing risks impact sales or launches
• Coordinate allocation of incoming inventory across ecommerce and retail channels

Product Lifecycle Management

• Make recommendations on reorders, transfers, and markdown strategies
• Support pricing and promotional decisions to optimize sell-through and margin
• Manage inventory through all stages of the product lifecycle

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Sales, Design, Marketing, Finance, and Operations to align on forecasts and strategies
• Communicate risks, opportunities, and key assumptions clearly across teams
• Align inventory plans with marketing campaigns, product launches, and key promotional events

Performance Recap & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze weekly, monthly, and seasonal performance against plan
• Adjust forecasts and strategies based on performance insights and changing business conditions
• Identify variances and adjust forecasts and strategies accordingly

Retail Allocation Support

• Assist in developing allocation strategies for retail locations
• Ensure inventory is distributed effectively to support store-level performance
• Monitor store performance and adjust allocation strategies as needed

Qualifications

• 3+ years of apparel (or another high sku category) merchandise planning experience involving sales and inventory planning, sales forecasting, and OTB
• Must have experience in demand planning and using a demand planning tool
• 4-year college degree or equivalent work experience

Key Skills

• Outstanding critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• A deep understanding of how to use data to drive decisions.
• Demonstrated experience gathering and manipulating data to answer questions and solve problems.
• Advanced Excel skills including the ability to work with large data sets.
• Strong organizational and time management skills; able to effectively manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with and manage execution across multiple teams.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Comfort with ambiguity and passion/excitement for building new tools and processes.

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA), Company matches up to 6%
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development

Marolina Outdoor is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Nothing in this job description alters the at-will nature of employment.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be modified as business needs change.

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact HR@marolina.com