Planning Analyst, Merchandise

Be a part of Canada’s only Major League Baseball Club, the Toronto Blue Jays Reporting to the Sr. Manager, Buying & Planning, the Planning Analyst, Merchandise will be a financial partner to the Merchandising Team. The Planning Analyst will; focus on financial planning and inventory strategies that support department sales growth, and in-stock goals for both pre-season and in-season timeframes. If you have high attention to detail, enjoy working across collaborative teams, and love baseball and live events - this may be the position for you.

**This role may be for you if**:

- You enjoy motivating and inspiring others.
- You thrive in hands-on roles and are eager to tackle new challenges.
- Fast-paced environments excite you.
- You're a dedicated fan of the Toronto Blue Jays

This is a contract position

**Responsibilities**:
**Budget & Open-to-Buy Planning**
- Partner with Sr. Manager, Merchant(s) and Vendors to create pre-season Brand Budget Plans and manage in-season adjustments
- Own Open-to-Buy forecast of sales and inventory needs within budgeted goals
- Provide monthly/seasonal forecast to vendors on “never-out-of-stock” programs to protect target fill rate
- Analyze & provide recommendations to communicate upside or risk to Merch and Finance partners
- Partner with Finance and Sr. Manager to prepare monthly merchandising post-mortem

**Purchase Orders & In-Bound Receipt Management**
- Together with Merchant(s), own and manage purchases within approved budget
- Assess and communicate if departments are under / over inventory target, discuss findings and provide recommendations to the team to chase or cancel
- In collaboration with Coordinator, Merchandise, manage in-bound receipt for homestands, in-store promotional events and all Toronto Blue Jays & Rogers Centre events to ensure product is allocated ahead of the event

**Allocations**
- (In Collaboration with Coordination, Merchandise)_
- Partner with Merchant(s) on allocation strategy that supports inventory merchandise strategy
- Analyze Store Inventory need when assessing allocations for repeat programs

**Inventory Management & Optimization**
- Daily Replenishment, Transfers & Stock Balancing_
- Accurate data entry & maintenance of products into the retail system
- Leverage business tools to analyze/create weekly allocation strategies that support sales and optimize inventory productivity. Ensure the product is at the right Jays Shop locations, at the right time, with the right quantity to drive profitable sales
- Regularly analyze inventory to ensure all SKUs are in-stock and achieving plan; Provide recommended exit strategy for slow sellers/aging inventory
- Proactively manage inventory for “never-out-of-stock” programs to provide annual, quarterly, monthly forecasting recommendations to Merchant(s) and Vendor partner.
- Lead stock movement to balance inventory by location (i.e. warehouse-to-store and store-to-store stock balancing)
- Own inventory planning and validate inventory needs for all new product launches or events, to support merchandising and/or promotional strategies
- Frequently participate in store visits with Merchant(s) and Retail to evaluate inventory levels, share findings and implement best practices.
- Communicate to Merchant(s) and Retail of any movement in inventory that may impact day-to-day

**Daily/Weekly Reporting**
- Provide reporting and communicate seasonal, monthly, homestand, and daily sales and inventory results, with documented analysis and recommendations
- Responsible for running push replenishment to stores and kiosks & flagging opportunities to buying team
- Consistent communication with vendors regarding sales performance, in stocks, and outstanding issues
- Participation in other projects as required by Merchandising Team.

**Qualifications**:

- Passion for sports and knowledge of the game of baseball and Toronto Blue Jays a necessity
- Post-secondary education in retail or business-related discipline
- 2+ years office experience in Retail Planning and/or Buying
- Analytical and solution based; Experience in evaluating data, advanced in Excel, and working knowledge in Retail Data Systems
- Team oriented and ability to collaborate with internal & external co-workers to reach desired results
- Effective prioritization, and ability to multi-task and deliver in a fast-paced environment
- Confident and effective communication skills - interpersonal, written, and verbal
- Demonstrates initiative, open to feedback and is results driven
- Proficient computer skills in Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
- Available to work all 81 home games (evenings, weekends, and holidays) as required
- Legally eligible to work in Canada

**What We Offer**
- Commitment to our team - we want you to succeed
- Ongoing, hands-on training to help you enhance your skills.
- Excellent employee discount to use towards Blue Jays gear.
- A unique employment experience working for the only MLB team in Canada.