Crate and Barrel · 6 hours ago
Director, Merchandise Planning
Northbrook, IL
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
10+ years expCrate and Barrel is seeking a Director of Merchandise Planning who will be responsible for driving and managing merchandise and financial plans, as well as inventory optimization across all channels. This role involves developing strategies to maximize revenue and collaborating with cross-functional partners to mitigate risks profitably.
Retail
Responsibilities
Develop, execute, and communicate pre-season and in-season financial plans, merchandise plans, and strategies to support the merchandising, marketing, and financial objectives of the business
Develop strategies, create a framework to lead the merchandise planning team to maximize revenue, gross margin, inventory turn goals, and EBIT across stores and e-commerce
Create and lead the strategy for multi-channel allocation effectiveness, as well as improvements in store performance and productivity
Manage item planning and forecasting for ordering, receipt flow, allocation, and other cross-functional needs, including key item management and reaction to business trends and risk assessment
Guide the analysis of monthly open-to-buy and financial sales, in-season product performance reviews, and monthly business reviews
Build and execute long-term and financially sound assortment plans and growth strategies in partnership with divisional merchandising managers
Liaise with marketing, stores, and eCommerce to create and execute brand-wide merchandise promotional strategy to drive sales while maximizing gross margin
Lead cross-functionally with DPMs, DMMs, and Associate Director Strategic Operations to create consistency and strong operational processes across all merchandising functions to manage critical deadlines, coding, hunt path, and product lead times
Present executive-level recommendations on business results and strategy
Work with cross-functional leaders and business partners on process, systems, sourcing, supply chain, etc, as needed to drive CBH efficiencies and effective inventory management
Inspire, coach, develop, and manage the planning and allocation team
Qualification
Required
Strong financial and planning acumen and experience in developing strategy and presenting data, and analysis
Able to develop and maintain strong working relationships with peers, cross-functional partners, and executive/senior leaders
Superior leadership and communication skills- to communicate high-level vision to senior management as well as tactical direction to the teams
Strong ability to prioritize and focus on only key initiatives to drive the business
Demonstrated ability to approach opportunities with a problem-solving mindset
Strong change management skills and experience
Ability to make final decisions that impact the effectiveness of the team
10+ years retail planning experience
7+ years leading teams
Bachelor's degree in business or related field, or equivalent experience
Company
Crate and Barrel
At Crate & Barrel, we help people build a home with purpose.
5001-10000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Janet Hayes
Chief Executive Officer, Crate & Barrel Holdings
Ana Hagemaster
Human Resources Business Partner
Recent News
AVE by Korman Communities
2025-09-30
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