Overview

Job Title: Merchandise Financial Planning Assistant

Essential Function

The Merchandise Financial Planning Assistant is responsible for supporting the Merchandise Finance Planner quantitative and financial analyses for their categories. Through their partnership with the Merchant team and Merchandise Finance team,those analyses will be utilized to increase productivity and profitability of the business in addition to helping support change management throughout the company.

Primary DutiesCategory Analytics.

• Tracking,reporting,and analyzing sales,margin and inventory trends for specific categories assigned by the Director of Merchandise Finance.
• Pulling,interpreting,and modeling data from multiple sources (P&L,category reporting,promotional performance,customer analytics,etc.) to uncover growth opportunities.
• Analytical support for annual merchandising forecasting process in partnership with partners across Merchandise Finance and Merchandise.
• Effective communication of analyses & recommendations to the appropriate Merchant partner and Merchandise Finance team.
• 15% Whitespace Opportunity Assessment & Business Case Building.
• Drive impact by uncovering opportunities for sales and margin growth through detailed analytics on customer insights,market and sales data.
• Identify unique category and brand opportunities for growth through the intersection of customer needs,domestic and international benchmarks and SBH strategy.
• 25% Ad hoc analytical requests from manager (Director of Merchandise Finance).

Knowledge,Skills and Abilities

• Experience in business,retail or consumer products experience a plus,but previous experience in an analytical role is required.
• Well-developed retail math & analytical skillset.
• Methodical and logical approach to problem solving.
• Clear,concise communication style.
• Detail oriented.
• Ability to support a cross-functional project and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ability to develop strong relationships with key partners.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables,VLOOKUP).

Competencies/Attributes

• Ability to organize and manage a variety of activities while addressing multiple priorities and quickly react to changing business needs while meeting firm deadlines.
• Prior experience building category strategies,business plans,and/or business cases through data analysis.
• Needs to be a self-starter to be able to develop policies and programs to meet new business objectives.
• Agile learner that is looking to progress within the SBH organization.
• Previous experience analyzing a retail P&L a strong plus.

Nature and Extent of Direct or Indirect Controls Exercised by the Supervisor

• Task Level High.
• Departmental/Division Level High.
• Project Level High.
• Consultative Level High.

The amount of discretion or freedom this position has

• Strict Adherence to Guidelines.
• Interprets and Adapts Guidelines.
• Develops and Implements Guidelines.

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements

• The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices,meeting and training rooms,retail stores,and residences or commercial vehicles,e.g.,use of safe work practices with office equipment,avoidance of trips and falls,observance of fire regulations and traffic signals,etc. The work area is adequately lighted,heated,and ventilated.
• The work is sedentary. Typically,the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However,there may be some walking,standing,bending,carrying of light items such as papers,files,books,small parts,using a keyboard,driving an automobile etc. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.