Merch Planner

Some of what you will do:

The Planner – Merchandise Planning & Forecasting role is responsible for supporting the growth of the Staples business through partnership with the Merchants (primarily DVPs and Category Managers) by delivering accurate forecast and business plans, conducting ad-hoc analysis to generate business insights, optimizing promotions & inventory, driving gap closing activity and supporting a variety of growth initiatives. A key area of focus will be translating numbers into business insights to help optimize sales, gross margin & inventory.   

The role will be an integral part of the Merch Ops team with the goal of becoming a data driven organization supported by leading retail processes & capabilities.

This role will directly support Director Merch Ops Planning requiring a collaborative approach, strong business acumen, robust problem-solving skills, statistical analysis skills, and capability of scripting in SQL and Excel to optimize data processes.

You will be a key partner to multiple teams and this role is a strong connector across Merch Ops Pricing, Merchandising, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Operations teams. 

Specifically, You Will:

• Work with Director Merch Ops planning to build and deliver category forecasts and business plan on sales, gross margin, and inventory to leaders in the merchandising team.
• Influence business strategy and in-season management by turning data into insights, leveraging business and financial analysis skills to improve business performance and KPIs. 
• Own and facilitate action planning process for all key stakeholders to close gaps to plan (sales, margin & inventory). 
• Conduct ad-hoc and diagnostic analysis of sales, gross margin, and inventory performance, communicating insights and recommendations.
• Support merchandising teams with reporting and analytics related to category performance, promo effectiveness, promo/offer lift analysis, and flyer performance. 
• This role is cross functional in nature and will be involved with all product categories across the company. He/she will partner closely with other leaders in merchandising, operations, supply chain, and marketing.

Some of what you need:

• Successful completion of a quantitative post-secondary education. A focus on statistics or mathematics is an asset.
• Demonstrated expertise in merchandising, analytics, planning & forecasting.
• Technical skill requirements: SQL, Advanced MS Excel and MS access and Python is an asset.
• Ability to translate complex data into actionable insights and articulate them clearly to stakeholders.
• Proven expertise and an ability to adapt to fast and constantly evolving environments. 
• 4+ years progressive experience in financial, analytics and/or merchandising functions.
• Experienced with large data sets and / or statistical analysis is an asset.

Some of what you will get:

• Associate discount
• Health and Dental benefits
• RRSP/DPSP
• Performance bonuses
• Learning & Development programs
• And more…

#Bringyourpassion

#LI-Hybrid

Staples Canada is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and we encourage applications from all qualified candidates, including those with disabilities.