Merchandise Planning Senior Director

<p><strong>About the Role</strong></p>
<p>Ring Concierge is a female-founded fine jewelry company specializing in custom engagement rings and fine jewelry. We're looking for a Merchandise Planning Senior Director to lead the financial strategy behind our merchandise business, turning customer demand, market trends, and business insights into inventory and assortment decisions that drive profitable growth.</p>
<p>The ideal candidate is analytical and strategic, thrives in ambiguity, and can influence senior leaders through data-driven recommendations.</p>
<p><strong>Responsibilities</strong></p>
<p><strong>Financial Strategy</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Own the investment strategy for Fine Jewelry and Bridal, balancing growth, profitability, inventory productivity, and customer experience</li>
<li>Partner closely with Merchandising to develop and execute annual and seasonal merchandise strategies aligned with company objectives</li>
<li>Develop annual financial plans, sales forecasts, inventory plans, and gross margin targets, re-forecasting throughout the year to capture sales trends</li>
<li>Own the Open-to-Buy process and recommend inventory investments across categories and channels</li>
<li>Build financial scenarios to support strategic business decisions and investment opportunities</li>
<li>Evaluate new product categories, launches, and assortment opportunities through financial modeling and business case development</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Inventory & Assortment Optimization</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Optimize stock levels, sell-through, inventory turns, and weeks of supply across all channels</li>
<li>Lead allocation strategy and store inventory planning</li>
<li>Identify opportunities to improve SKU productivity through lifecycle management and assortment optimization</li>
<li>Develop strategies to minimize aged inventory while protecting customer experience and profitability</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Business Performance & Customer Insights</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Analyze business performance, sales trends, and customer purchasing behavior to identify risks and opportunities</li>
<li>Monitor market trends, competitive landscape, and customer demand to inform planning decisions</li>
<li>Deliver regular executive reporting and present financial insights and recommendations to leadership in a concise, compelling manner</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cross-Functional Leadership</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Partner with Product Development to inform launch quantities, lifecycle planning, and investment strategies</li>
<li>Collaborate with Marketing and Ecommerce to support promotional planning and demand forecasting</li>
<li>Align cross-functional teams to successfully execute seasonal launches and key business initiatives</li>
<li>Influence assortment architecture, pricing strategies, inventory investments, and launch decisions through data-driven insights</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Process Improvement & Operational Excellence</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Build scalable planning tools, reporting, and frameworks that improve forecasting accuracy and support company growth</li>
<li>Identify AI and automation opportunities that reduce manual work and drive operational efficiency across the planning function</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Leadership</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Mentor and develop planning talent while fostering a culture of accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement</li>
<li>Lead with an ownership mentality, proactively identifying opportunities to improve the business</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>About You</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Strategic thinker with a strong commercial mindset and passion for retail, balancing big-picture thinking with attention to detail</li>
<li>Proven ability to translate data into actionable business strategies</li>
<li>Naturally curious with exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills</li>
<li>Comfortable making decisions in a fast-paced, high-growth environment</li>
<li>Highly collaborative with strong executive presence, able to influence cross-functional partners and senior leadership</li>
<li>Hands-on leader who enjoys both building strategy and executing against it</li>
<li>AI-forward, actively look for ways to apply new tools and technology to improve how the team plans and makes decisions</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Qualifications</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Bachelor's degree in Merchandising, Business, Finance, Economics, or a related field</li>
<li>12-15+ years of experience in Merchandise Planning or Inventory Planning within luxury retail, fashion, or consumer goods</li>
<li>Strong retail math and financial acumen, including forecasting, inventory productivity, margin planning, and assortment planning</li>
<li>Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, complex formulas, and financial modeling</li>
<li>Experience working with Shopify, NetSuite, or merchandise planning systems is a plus</li>
<li>Knowledge of the luxury fine jewelry market is preferred</li>
<li>Experience using AI tools to support forecasting, reporting, or process improvement is a plus</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Details</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Full-time role located in NYC, requiring 4 days per week in office</li>
<li>Office Hours: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, with the knowledge that we have a startup culture and your day may extend past listed office hours (with the possibility of weekends during busy season or sales)</li>
<li>Must be available to provide evening, weekend, and holiday coverage during peak periods, including major promotions, launches, and the holiday season</li>
<li>Health, Vision & Dental Insurance for full-time employees</li>
<li>Generous employee discounts on our fine jewelry</li>
<li>Paid time off, Summer Fridays, and an extra allowance of 3 days annually for religious observances</li>
<li>Compensation for the role will be determined based on the candidate's qualifications, skills, and experience.  The estimated annual compensation for this role is $190,000+</li>
</ul>