Senior Director Planning E-Commerce

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POSITION SUMMARY

The Senior Director of Planning is a key member of the site leadership team. As a stakeholder in all site decisions, he/she develops, executes and communicates strategic ecommerce merchandise financial plans that support the company’s financial, product, and digital marketing objectives; responsible for driving top line financial plans site-wide. Focus on maximizing sales, margin, AOV, and conversion, while optimizing inventory utilizing digital strategy & marketing. Develop and contribute to the development of Brand initiatives, and ensures that all planning activities support annual goals. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Create strategic & focused financial plans that support the company’s objectives and brand goals from a top down perspective with a “digital first” mindset.

• At a total site level, develop both demand & fulfillment sales, gross margin, and inventory plans that support the company’s profit objectives.  Align plans to assortment & on site experience, collaborating with merchandising, buying, site operations & marketing.
• Create annual promotional plan for entire site, aligning to site traffic peaks, AOV assumptions, Brand collaborations while aligning to company inventory & financial goals.
• Coordinate shipping expectations between shipping methods & key players (ecommerce warehouse, ship from store, dropship, etc,). Budget accurately for each method & flex inventory appropriately across company & destination.
• Guide the ecommerce planning and merchandising team, utilizing historical site metrics (AOV, AUR, UPT, Conversion, Google Analytics), to exponentially capitalize on new opportunities, and identify risks.  Understand ecommerce specific opportunities and risks from direct reports and communicate to key business partners including NA/Global merchandising, site operations, finance, global brand marketing, and site & brand leadership.

Site Data & Customer Management

• Link financial plans to user site experience. Leverage Adobe Analytics cookie-based user data, determine which customer tier is best suited to which promotions. Test promotions frequently & creatively.
• Utilize various data systems (Adobe, Island Pacific, JDA, etc) to explain sales & margin thru customer experience.
• Understand customer funnel, site experience & marketing tools to most effectively leverage inventory & promotions. Familiarity with site abilities and restrictions.
• Key stakeholder in site enhancements, collection sequencing, PDP & photography changes and the overall inventory impact.

Weekly Business Management

• Update weekly promotional cadence, aligning webset/homepage/landing page/PDP changes with calendar. Appropriately communicate inventory impacts to digital marking & site operations teams to align downstream implications to go-live dates. Nimbly adapt to ever changing inventory flow thru coordination of key players.
• Meet with planners to understand weekly forecasts, category opportunities and risks, webset changes, markdowns, and reflowing of inventory.  Ensure that all decisions are based on historical data, trends, customer insight data and growth objectives for site.
• Present “action points” to senior management and gain consensus on business approach.

Owner of the topline & departmental forecast & open to buy.

• Give topline direction to planners for monthly forecasts. Key focus on site profit, optimizing inventory, and managing risk across site. Liaise with Site Ops/User Experience/Digital Marketing/Merchandising on impact of topline forecast changes to downstream effects on site.
• Lead and direct the monthly forecast meeting providing guidance to business leaders and finance.  Communicate risk & opportunity, incorporating ecommerce trend both internal & external.  Focus on long range action plans in order to exceed corporate plans.
• Make recommendations for company inventory optimization based on future trends.

Assortment Planning & Buy Responsibility

• Develop topline assortment needs alongside Merchant counterparts. Identify long term product needs for elevating site, aligning to UX and site experience.
• Pre-season create divisional and departmental plans to support the development of the line. Set sales, margin, flow, and IMU goals prior to the planning of each delivery.  Reconcile tops down and bottom up forecasts prior to the passing of receipts to the merchant organization.
• Lead and facilitate buy review meeting with merchants, planners, site marketing, site ops, UX, and leadership.  Review pre-season plans that support new assortment.  Identify risks and opportunities relative to product, flow, and presentation. 
• Gain consensus on assortment and plans from senior management.  Manage the locking process for seasonal plans.  Forecast seasonal and source plans to validate key metrics. 

Managing and Developing Talent

• Create a dynamic team environment that encourages collaboration and creativity within the ecommerce team and across global org.
• Lead planning team ensuring that all company objectives and current and future business plans are executed.  Provide clear direction to all levels managing details as appropriate.
• Identify top talent and infuse new bench strength within organization to support succession planning.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct:         Planners

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Experience:

• Minimum 7-8 years merchandise planning experience, with minimum of 2 years ecommerce specific experience; 7 - 10 years of total work experience
• Demonstrated experience
  • Presenting and recommending strategies and building a business case
  • Understanding site operations & limitations
  • Driving business to exceed company plans
  • Leading and developing a team of at least 3 direct reports
  • Strategic forecasting for a multidimensional digital business
  • Assuming additional areas of accountability successfully
  • Influencing and negotiating at a variety of levels

Education: Four-year degree, advanced degree a plus

Skills:

• Analytical/Math Skills/Excel expert
• Well versed in planning system (JDA or equivalent) necessary; Adobe, SAP, reporting system strongly preferred                  
• Project Management                   
• Strategic Forecasting & Financial Planning
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills including presenting complex material in an organized and compelling manner

,industry:Retail,title:Senior Director, Planning E-Commerce,datePosted:2021-10-13T00:00:00.000 0000,@context:****Senior Director - Product Management & Marketing, Senior Vice President - Network Growth & Engagement & Marketing & Communications & Information Technology, Senior Director - Product Management, Senior Director - Product Development, Director of Marketing - Strategy & Planning, & Operations, Senior Vice President - Strategy & Product Management, Executive Director - Product Development & Technology, Director of Development - Operations & Product Management & Development, Senior Vice President - Strategy & Technology, Global Director - Product Management & UX} Senior Director, Planning E-Commerce in New York, New York, United States of America | Merchandising at PVH

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