Merch Planner-3

About us:
Target is an iconic brand, a Fortune 50 company and one of America’s leading retailers.
Target Merchandising is evolving at an incredible pace. We are constantly reimagining how this $100
billion retailer offers the innovative, guest-inspiring items that Target is known and loved for. Our goal is to
deliver exceptional value, quality and style to elevate Target as the premier retailer in a competitive global
marketplace. Through intelligent and progressive business strategies that make the most of Target’s
resources and partnerships worldwide, merchandising works across product categories to create a
localized shopping experience online and in our 1900 stores. Are you a creative problem solver who loves
to see your work translate into real results? Can you collaborate effectively, execute a plan efficiently and
positively influence how Target chooses and presents the right product in the right place at the right
price? If so, you will have success on one of our dynamic teams.
A role in Planning means being in charge of the financials and forecasting for one of Target’s
businesses. Here, you’ll conduct comparative analysis of holiday or other seasonal performance reports
and provide the insights that inform the Inventory team’s work to ensure that product supports projected
sales. Acting as the hub between Merchandising and Supply Chain, you will create a financial link
between these two essential groups and have a voice in some of the most important decisions from a
financial strategy standpoint.
As a Merchandise Planner, you’ll provide decision support, collaborate on assortment planning and assist
in demand forecasting. You will conduct root cause analysis on forecast accuracy and provide critical
inputs to Data Sciences on improving the forecasting models. A large part of your role will be to interpret
forecast results and conduct “what if?” analysis to guide your go-forward recommendations. You will
validate the unit promo planning forecast, drive maintenance, risk analysis and decision-making by the
Pricing & Promotion Center of Excellence. Previous experience in Demand Planning (in retail) will be
preferred. And you’ll run event forecast creation and flow, analyzing item lifecycles and driving
recommendations on end-of-season management.
Core responsibilities are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to
business needs.

About you:

• Bachelors or Master degree in Mathematics or Statistics
• 5-7 years of relevant experience in forecasting and statistical analysis
• Good communication skills to collaborate across cross functional teams to develop accurate demand forecasts.
• Strong analytical skills to quantify market trends, guest behavior and product performance into market intelligence.
• Problem solving abilities to identify and address opportunities in demand planning & forecasting
• Attention to details ensuring accurate demand forecasts
• Proficiency in using open source tools for predictive and prescriptive analytics.