Director of Merchandise Planning & Allocation - Clarks Shoes

As the Director of Merchandise Planning, you will oversee all retail planning for DTC channels of the Americas business to ensure sales and margin targets are met. In addition, you will work to support the respective departments with analysis, reports and business insights that maximize sales.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Accountable for building, maintaining, and developing a sales forecast process into pre and in season planning.
• Responsible for annual forecasting and planning, managing OTB’s (sales, margin & inventory management), overseeing forecasting and buy process.
• Collaborate with finance, Merchandising, Ecommerce team, Marketing and Retail Operations to strategically drive incremental growth, productivity, and profitability in the business.
• Utilize data-driven insights to identify opportunities for optimization and improvement in planning processes, inventory management, sales forecasting, and other planning related functions.
• Oversee Demand & Fulfillment team and develop/maintain a core replenishment strategy and plan.
• Manage regional weekly sales reporting for all DTC revenue channels – Ecomm, Full price and Outlet providing analysis to support.
• Partner with and support merchandising on the promotional and pricing strategy, as well as the product flow life cycle and markdown management.
• Acts as DTC planning representative for Americas region on sales forecast in budget reviews, and monthly financial projection reviews.
• Pushes for operational and IT-enabled progress to constantly improve the forecasting process and integration with Clarks global systems.
• Develop accuracy and attainment reporting that allows management to see underlying patterns
• Evolve planning tools and dashboards in Power BI and Enterprise Planning as needed to promote efficiency and drive alignment across DTC.
• Motivate, Mentor and coach a direct report by empowering, inspiring, and guiding professional development.

What You’ll Bring with You:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Business Objects, Power BI experience; Strong MS Excel.
• Minimum 5-7 years’ experience in planning or financial analyst role.
• Must possess strong analytical, planning, retail math and communication skills.
• Must be able to work independently and handle multiple tasks.
• Must be comfortable presenting to groups or to management.

About Clarks

Clarks, based in Somerset, England, has been at the forefront of innovative shoemaking since its foundation in 1825, when brothers James and Cyrus Clark made a slipper from sheepskin off-cuts. At the time it was ground-breaking: a combination of invention and craftsmanship that has remained at the heart of what the brand does now. In the Clarks archive of more than 22,000 pairs are shoes that have sparked revolutions and defined generations. From the original Clarks Desert Boot, first designed by Nathan Clark and launched in 1950, to the iconic Wallabee, each design has an instantly recognizable signature that makes it unmistakably Clarks.

This season, we’re proud to introduce the Clarks Collective: five incredible activists championing authentic social change. From mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights to greater racial equality, these trailblazers are committed to creating a brighter future for us all – bringing to life Clarks’ new global campaign, For the World Ahead. Through spotlighting their stories and supporting their chosen charities and initiatives, we’re ready to lead the way. After all, we’re originators, not imitators. It’s who we are, who we’ve always been. And to change the world of tomorrow, we’re doing things differently today.

As a global employer, Clarks is committed to embracing diversity throughout our workforce by creating an inclusive environment that reflects the many cultures and locations where we work. We strive to create a productive environment which everyone has an equal chance to succeed at all levels through the organization. We will not discriminate on the basis of sex, age ,disability, marital status, color, race, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation or gender re-assignment’, complying  with local legislative requirements.