About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Retail.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

The Merchandising Planning Assistant will support the Merchandising Planning team to drive product performance, meet financial and inventory targets, and enable data-driven assortment and replenishment decisions. Responsibilities include:

• Support development of weekly and monthly financial plans for sales, gross margin, and inventory at the item and subcategory level
• Analyze sales and inventory performance to identify trends, risks, and opportunities; provide actionable recommendations
• Support in‑season business reforecasting based on current sales and inventory performance
• Assist in developing seasonal merchandise and product strategies driven by performance, customer demand, and market opportunity
• Support assortment planning across items, colors, sizes, and product categories
• Assist with allocation and replenishment strategies to optimize inventory and maximize sales
• Support production and inventory planning, including purchase order tracking, stock plans, and product flow
• Analyze newly launched products and recommend inventory and replenishment actions
• Support markdown planning and evaluate pricing impacts on sales, inventory, margin, and sell‑through
• Conduct competitive and market research to surface trends and customer needs
• Prepare business reports, presentations, and analyses for Merchandising leadership
• Collaborate with Marketing, Store Operations, Inventory Planning, and other partners to support product strategies
• Participate in training to build merchandise planning and business-analysis capabilities
• Support additional merchandising projects and initiatives as assigned

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Who You Are / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Entry-level to early-career experience in Merchandising, Merchandise Planning, Buying, Allocation, Inventory Management, Finance, Retail, or a related field preferred
• Strong analytical and mathematical aptitude, with an understanding of retail math and business metrics
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel; comfortable building and using spreadsheets for analysis
• Proficient with PowerPoint for presentations and reporting
• Ability to translate data into clear, actionable business recommendations
• Strong attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Sense of urgency, accountability, and ownership
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills
• Comfortable collaborating with local and global teams
• Willingness to learn new systems and merchandising platforms
• Genuine interest in retail, product, customers, and a long-term career in merchandise planning

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Location & Schedule

• Location: New York, NY — Hybrid (3 days/week on-site, 2 days/week remote)
• Employment type: Full-time

Confidential Client complies with applicable federal, state and local employment laws and regulations, and will consider reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.

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Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $80,000 - $86,000 per year (range provided by the employer)
  • The final salary offer will be based on experience, skills, and qualifications as well as applicable laws.
• Benefits: Confidential Client offers standard benefits (medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, etc.). Specific benefit details will be provided during the hiring process.

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Why Join

This role is ideal for an analytically-minded, commercially-focused early-career professional who wants to build core merchandising planning skills — forecasting, assortment strategy, inventory optimization, and cross-functional collaboration — within a retail environment. You’ll work with experienced planners, influence assortment and replenishment decisions, and gain exposure to strategic merchandising processes.

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Recruiting & Compliance Notes

Careertakes and Confidential Client are committed to hiring practices that comply with federal, state, and local employment laws. Applicants will not be discriminated against on the basis of protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.