The North Face:
Global Manager, Merchandise Planning Job in Alameda, VT

At The North Facewe dare to lead the world forward through Exploration.

The North Face is the premier exploration company in the world. Founded in the counterculture of Berkeley, CA in 1966 we have a long and storied legacy of enabling exploration, protecting our planet, and creating iconic and technically advanced product.

Our culture is born from the spirit of the Explorer and infuses everything we do. We love wild places. We spark curiosity. We dare to disrupt. We create communities. And we lead with integrity. We are a community of explorers and are constantly looking for new ideas, places and people to connect with.
We take great pride in our ability to facilitate exploration for our employees and partners. By joining The North Face family, you will be offered the opportunity, tools and environments to more deeply explore the world around you and make meaningful, lasting connections. You will also be working on a team with a mission to protect our planet for generations to come.

The North Face is part of VF Corporation who guidespowerful brands that are fueled by insights and innovation that put us at the heart of our consumers lives. Many of our brands lead their respective categories, and some have risen to iconic status.

While our VF company and brands are diverse, we work together within a One VF culture to capitalize on our greatest opportunities for long-term performance. Across our company, a collaborative, global mindset differentiates our products and the unique experiences we provide to our consumers. It all adds up to a lasting competitive advantage built on harnessing the power of our differences to achieve great things together, all while positively impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of people and the world.

Global Manager, Merchandise Planning: Become the Newest Member of the VF Family

The primary responsibilities of the Global Manager, Merchandise Planning, is to support in building the global financial product strategy and execute the product planning across all Global Retail environments.

How You Will Make a Difference:
Product
Partner with global Merchandising Managers on seasonal and long-term strategy for Global Merchandising/segmentation
Develop analytical framework used to inform strategically segmented assortment strategies for own area of business
Provide SKU count guidance to Merchandising and RD&D teams using analysis of historical trend and market opportunities for own area of business
Provide volume line planning guidance to Merchandising and Product Management for own area of business
Report on SKU count and conduct SKU rationalization exercises using ABC analysis or other quantitative analysis for own area of business

Operations
Partner to provide new initiatives to enhance planning engagement and service to overall business process
Provide direction for the global demand plan for own area of business that connects sales and product strategies to Ops/Supply Chain
Partner with Merchandise Operations to develop planning calendar to align Merchandising, Finance, Sales, RD&D, and operations milestones/deliverables
Partner with regional counterparts in WHS and DTC to develop global merchandising plans
Own handoffs of seasonal merchandising financial plans to the operations team, briefing big ideas and key brand initiatives

Financials/ Metrics
Develop seasonal revenue targets by channel and category that align with financial and brand strategies to be aligned on with ELG pre- and during seasonal planning for own area of business
Partner with Merchandising managers to achieve global revenue & margin through collaboration with finance, sales, and product teams
Ensure Global Merchandising plans by channel and category aligns with financial and brand strategies
Align with Product team to deliver on product mix that delivers margin targets
Partner with Supply Planning, ensuring forecasts are connected to strategic focuses

Skills for Success:

Years of Related Professional Experience: 5+ years

Educational/Position Requirements:
Bachelor degree or equivalent combination of years of experience and education.
3+ years working within cross functional expertise
Computer/Software Applications: Microsoft Office Suite Very strong Excel knowledge required
Experience using BI reporting systems
Strong communication skills both verbal and written, strong cross functional collaboration skills required
Strong understanding of brand categories across diverse channels of distribution
Ability to play integral role within a broader team, connect the department and individual expectations to company vision
Proven skills in working within teams
Strong organizational skills and the ability to juggle multiple priorities and deadlines
Ability to work with others as part of cross-functional team, build consensus, and achieve results across a variety of distinct groups.
Experience product forecasting, statistical modeling and/or strategic planning
Proven ability to successfully connect brand strategy to sales and financial targets

Special Physical and/or Mental Requirements:
Travel required: 5%