Chief Merchant Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Overview

The Director, Fashion Buy Planning will be responsible for the creation and maintenance of inventory and sales plans. Scrutinizing historical performance for areas of opportunity in retail sales, inventory growth or reduction, and increased product margins. They are directly responsible for the creation and upkeep of orders. This role reports to the VP of Planning and Allocation and has dotted line accountability to the VP - Chief Merchant, requiring reporting of shortcomings and opportunities in inventory on a weekly basis.

Responsibilities

• Generate and oversee a retail sales plan that reaches our financial, marketing, and merchandising goals.
• Monitor budgets to a subcategory level for each buying group, investigating causes of inventory, sales and margin discrepancies and reporting findings to merchants as well as VP of Planning and Chief Merchant.
• Manage associate buy planner-generated weekly reporting to ensure timely execution of adjustments to inventory purchasing, pricing, and assortment.
• Summarize and analyze actual performance against plan, on a weekly, quarterly and annual basis, highlight in-season adjustments to original plan.
• Analyze historical data and current trends to identify areas of opportunity and risk by area.
• Adjust inventory plans based on minimum assortments, working with merchandise buying team to account for display, back-stock, and unique style requirements.
• Responsible for timely review of current inventory conditions at individual stores versus customer services metrics, identification of issues impacting overall customer service objectives, and resolving issues through allocation/rebalancing and re-prioritization of processing flow where possible. When conditions exist which cannot be resolved through these methods, this position is responsible for escalating the issues to the VP of Planning & Allocation.
• Maintain unique assortments for each specific market to target the needs of our customers.
• Identify underperforming articles and propose discontinuing, markdown, or scrapping.
• Approve purchasing requirements (net needs) and potential replenishment opportunities.
• Direct Associate/Assistant Buy Planner and Merchandise/Senior Merchandise Coordinator to execute purchase orders to finished goods vendors.
• Provide demand for components to component sourcing team (generally via component minimums)
• Determine appropriate minimum quantities / ratings for each specific primary hierarchy.
• Responsible for monitoring the current turn percent for each primary hierarchy and identifying items that fall out of the company range.
• Foster growth in associate and assistant buy-planners via continual improvement initiatives, linked-in learning, and coaching.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in retail merchandise planning & optimization, demand forecasting, inventory management, and pricing analysis.
• Expertise in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
• Advanced knowledge of retail planning.
• Proper principles and practices of data collection and consolidation.
• Strong communication skills.
• Excellent presentation skills
• Ability to give clear and direct feedback to large groups.

Application Deadline: Initial consideration will be given to applications received by July 31, 2026. Applications received after this date may be considered if the position remains open or the application period is extended.

Behavioral Characteristics

For the best success in this role, candidates must be analytical, accurate, steady, and timely. The ideal candidate will be a problem-solver with strong critical thinking skills who can work with small details as well as the big picture. Those who take initiative and who take pride in high-quality work will succeed in this position.

Work Environment

The primary environment for this role is a combination of an open office and a remote workplace. Considerable business is conducted using the telephone and computer technology. This role is expected to be on-site in Home Office 1 day per week on an ongoing basis. Note that all hybrid and remote work conditions are covered in the Company's current Remote Work Policy and Remote Work Agreement, incorporated here by reference. Travel may be required to stores, conferences or events up to 20% of the time.

Why Work for Shane Co.?

Joining #TeamShaneCo comes with a host of benefits designed to support you and your loved ones- we understand a supportive benefits package is key to a fulfilling work experience. As a family-owned business, we prioritize your well-being, recognizing that our success is a collective effort. Here's what we offer:Compensation and Recognition: We offer a competitive base rate and an opportunity for a yearly bonus.Time off: You'll enjoy a generous time-off package, including 3 weeks of vacation, and an annual float day. We value holidays and are closed on major ones. Plus, you receive a float day and paid volunteer day annually. We also value your work-life balance and keep favorable hours that provide a great retail experience to our customers while respecting your time and well-being.Family-centric benefits: We care about your family, and our benefits extend beyond standard offerings. In times of major illness, you can earn time off at full pay for self or family care. You'll also benefit from paid parental leave, an Employee Assistance Program, and assistance navigating medical complexities.Health and wellness: We value your health and provide you with paid sick time. Additionally, you can access competitive medical, dental, and vision plans, a 401(k) with company match, and flexible spending accounts. You can also enjoy voluntary benefits, including long-term disability, life insurance for dependents, and pet insurance. We also have a dedicated staff member who focuses on well-being and work-life balance, ensuring you thrive professionally and personally.Employee Discount: Enjoy a generous store and online discount, available for you and your family members.Shane Co. serves our customers with an unparalleled standard of excellence. Our people get to share in our customers' milestone moments such as weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and everything in between.Our goal for you is to give you an employment experience like no other so you wake up and want to come to work every day. If you love being part of a team as well as providing personal attention to every customer, this is the place for you!Base Pay range for this role is $117,000 - $158,000 annually. Your placement in the range is determined through interviews, a review of experience, knowledge, skills, balanced pay with other team members and alignment with geographic market data. Home office base pay ranges are based on the Denver market.  We target most new hire offers toward the lower end of the listed range, but more demonstrated experience, knowledge and skills may result in a higher starting rate.Beyond Base Pay: Home office positions are eligible for consideration for an annual bonus, based on total company performance.  Amounts vary by role and are based on a percentage of eligible earnings for the fiscal year.