Principal Accountabilities:
* Lead merchandise planning team in the planning and execution of all replenishment strategies, financial inventory planning, and allocation of merchandise* Develop seasonal financial targets and coordinate business reviews* Drive sales, increase profits, reduce supply chain expense, and enhance company brand* Key link between merchandising, store, and store support* Typically responsible for leading a team of professionals

Knowledge & Skill Requirements:
* Bachelor’s degree in a related field; Master’s degree preferred *Equivalent years of experience in a substantially similar industry may be considered in lieu of a degree to be determined by the nature of the specific job and the hiring manager’s criteria* Generally ten years of progressive experience with five years of managerial experience* Strong organization and communication skills * Proficient PC skills

Knowledge & Application:
* Department manager with expert knowledge in more than one specialized field and broad knowledge of several related disciplines within a function* Requires broad theoretical knowledge or advanced knowledge of highly specialized fields and their interrelationships* Directs the application of existing principles and guides development of new policies and ideas across a discipline/departmental area* Leads the development of new policies/ideas in own discipline

Problem Solving:
* Problems are unclearly defined and sufficient information may not be available* Requires conceptual thinking to understand complex issues and their implications* Solutions may need to be devised based on limited information* Implementation of solutions often requires a longer term perspective* Solutions must take into consideration multiple perspectives and future implications* May in certain instances require judgment to devise and apply new concepts and solutions

Interaction:
* Required to convey complex information and persuade several diverse stakeholders/audiences often across multiple cultures* Develops recommendations to sell ideas or services* Information is non-routine in nature* Frequently advises others on complex matters

Impact:
* Translates functional vision into plans for the functional discipline and guides their execution* Significantly impacts the results of one or more discipline areas* Impact is on medium- to long-term departmental goals

Accountability:
* Accountable for departmental results which will impact the entire function* Accountable for departmental budget* Accountable for financial impact which may be broad and have a far-reaching impact on the business segment* Full people management accountability including resourcing and exit decisions* Resourcing decisions likely to be signed off by higher authority