Senior Merchandise Planner in New York at Alex and Ani

Location: US Remote (ET hours) Role Type: Full-time | Exempt Reports To: Director of Merchandise Planning Overview We're seeking a Senior Merchandise Planner to drive inventory and demand planning execution across our channels, including Direct-to-Consumer (DTC), Amazon (US, CA, MX), and wholesale partners. We're looking for a planner who thrives with autonomy and sound judgment, confidently owning day-to-day execution across line-level planning, promotional management, allocation, and inventory health. This is a strong opportunity to build deep, hands-on experience across a multi-channel business, operating with the pace and agility of a scaling business while leveraging the foundation of an established consumer brand.
What You'll DoDemand Forecasting & Inventory Support

• Own and drive sales and demand forecasts for an assigned category or channel, partnering closely with the Director of Merchandise Planning to align on strategy and targets.
• Analyze historical sales, trends, seasonality, and market dynamics to build and refine demand plans, proactively flagging risks and opportunities
• Translate forecasts into inventory recommendations that optimize service levels and turnover targets

Inventory & Channel Management

• Monitor inventory health across assigned channels, proactively identifying and acting on stockout and excess risk
• Lead inventory allocation across regions and channels, escalating as needed
• Partner closely with supply chain and operations teams on production, replenishment, and lead-time tracking

Open-to-Buy (OTB) Management

• Own the monthly OTB process for assigned category or channel, including data prep, tracking, and reporting, with the ability to independently manage the cadence and ensuring accuracy
• Support merchandising and finance on OTB updates and variance tracking
• Proactively surface risks and opportunities identified in the data, translating findings into actionable recommendations

Systems & Reporting

• Leverage existing planning tools and reporting workflows to maintain accurate, up-to-date plans
• Identify and flag opportunities for process or reporting improvements
• Stay curious about emerging AI-enabled planning tools and support evaluation efforts as the business explores new capabilities

Channel & Market Support

• Own planning execution for assigned channel(s) (DTC, Amazon US/CA/MX, or wholesale) based on established strategy
• Collaborate with marketplace and wholesale teams to incorporate partner promotions into forecasts

Merchandising Support

• Support the merchandise team with assortment planning work as needed
• Assist with sample coordination and related merchandising tasks

What You Bring

• 5-7+ years of experience in merchandise planning, demand planning, inventory management, or a related analytical role, ideally within DTC ecomm, retail, fashion, accessories, lifestyle, jewelry, or consumer brands
• Proven experience in multi-channel environments (DTC, Amazon/marketplaces, and/or wholesale)
• Deep working knowledge of forecasting methodologies, inventory tracking, and markdown processes/ promotional planning
• Strong focus on execution with the ability to independently manage detailed, recurring analytical work in a fast-paced environment
• Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and sound judgment
• Demonstrated experience partnering with and influencing senior stakeholders (e.g., VP/SVP-level) a plus
• Advanced Excel skills; familiarity with Looker or similar BI tools a plus