Senior Director, North America Planning & Merchandising

Role: Senior Director, North America Planning & Merchandising

Reporting to:  VP of Integrated Business Planning

Scope: Leader, M6

Years of Experience: 10+

Location: Ventura, CA

The position serves a key leader within Patagonia’s largest region, partnering with channel leadership to lead development, maintenance, and analysis of the North American Merchandise Financial Plans (MFPs) and seasonal forecasts supporting the region’s strategic distribution and product initiatives. In this position you will play a pivotal role in assisting in the creation and execution of aligned strategies, working cross-functionally to ensure a deep understanding of how organizational expectations are manifested in the North American channels. Additionally, this position will help drive roll out and adoption of critical Integrated Business Planning processes to identify and communicate risks and opportunities in all aspects of the North American MFP performance.

The role provides leadership, guidance, and oversight for a multi-faceted planning team of 10-15 planners across Merchandise Financial Planning, Wholesale Account Planning, DTC Assortment Planning (eCommerce and Retail Stores), and in-season Forecasting. As the Senior Director, North America Planning and Merchandising you will be responsible for the clear communication of the North American regions ability to meet various key performance indicators including sales, standard margins, inventory health (i.e. balances, aging, turns, forward weeks of supply, etc.), understanding quantified risks and opportunities, and development of clear action plans to impact performance in conjunction with channel leadership. To effectively fulfill these responsibilities, you must be well versed in financial planning, successful at developing strong cross-functional relationships, and adept at active and ongoing communications.

Key cross-functional partners include Global Merchandise Financial Planning, Global Product Planning, Channel Leadership, Sales Team Leadership, Corporate FP&A, Global Supply Planning, and Line Management.

What You’ll Do:

Oversight and Leadership of Merchandise Financial Planning

Long Range Merchandise Financial Planning (LRMFP)

• Collaborate on development and maintenance of North American strategic documentation, inclusive of key product and channel distribution strategies (i.e. expansion/investment, contraction/divestment) to support and/or challenge long-range expectations
• Work extensively with Global Merchandise Financial Planning and Product Leadership to co-create North American Channel/Team LRMFP with alignment from both North America strategic initiatives as well as product strategic initiatives
• Review and synthesize monthly updates to near-term 2-3 year MFP, including continuous understanding and communication of risks and opportunities to achievement of aligned KPI’s
• Monthly communication in S&OP and other meetings of proposed actions, required decisions, and recommendations
  
  
  

Seasonal MFP

• Ensure continual alignment with Global MFP team on seasonal expectations in the context of fiscal year financial plans
• Communicate financial goals to channel leads and planning teams to ensure effective, efficient, and accurate purchasing of inventory and subsequent consumption of inventory post-buy
• Ensure goals are reflective of updated Direct to Consumer and Wholesale sales trends, current Wholesale account plans and any updates to Region product or Channel growth strategies
  
  
  

Oversight and Leadership of North American DTC Assortment Planning and Wholesale Account Planning

• Review results of monthly forecasts in relation to MFP expectations across all financial metrics, leveraging both to understand risks/opportunities and associated action plans required
• Maintain regular communication with Channel Leads and Wholesale Sales team to review/identify potential risks or opportunities to plan
• Develop scenario options to close gaps to plan; plan revision proposal & what-if scenarios provided to Global MFP for review
  
  
  

Oversight and Leadership of North American In-Season Forecasting

• Responsible for optimizing North American inventory management across channels to achieve sales and margin plans
• Maintain regular communication with Channel Leads & Wholesale Sales team to review/identify potential risks or opportunities to plan or prior forecast
• Owns accuracy and alignment of monthly Channel MFP & item re-forecasts inclusive of current sales trends, supply chain impacts, wholesale account changes, etc.
  
  
  

Communication & Alignment

• Own Monthly North American Planning review (S&OP) with Channel leadership to align on expectations prior to submission to Global MFP
• Responsible for communication to/between Global MFP, Channel leadership, NAM planning and Corporate FP&A teams on:
• Changes in Region sales, margin, and inventory requirements
• Risks and opportunities to current forecast (prior to proposed change)
• Decisions made in monthly S&OP meetings and any other Leadership confirmed changes to Channel plans or forecasts
  
  
  

Leadership and Guidance on Process and System Implementation

• Guide North American teams through new Integrated Business Planning process implementation and lead change management
• Participate in implementation of new planning systems
• Provide continuous process improvement, recommendations and thought leadership on collaborative best-practices
  
  
  

Who You Are:

• Leader: act as a thought leader, build trusted relationships, influence decisions and drive urgency on critical priorities; agile mindset to continually improve and stay ahead of industry trends
• Strategic: able to think big picture and drive work accordingly
• Results Oriented: crafts effective work plans, organizing people and tasks to achieve a desired result
• Collaborative: able to lead in a collaborative environment with multiple business partners/personalities at play
• Inclusive- experience working with groups in respectful and equitable ways.
• Team Player- strong collaborative tendencies and team development skills
• Process Oriented: organized, thorough, and a keen attention to detail for complex multi-stage projects
  
  
  

Experience You Bring:

• 5+ years experience leading a team of planners and merchants in a multichannel retail environment.
• 10+ years experience in inventory management and forecasting systems and developing Long Range MFPs and Seasonal MFPs.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail are necessary to identify risks, opportunities, and gaps in the plan.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills are important for effectively communicating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Knowledge of sales trends, product strategies, and retail operations is crucial for making informed decisions and aligning plans with business objectives.
  
  
  

Pay range$190,000.00 - $285,000.00

Hiring range: $225,000.00- $250,000.00

At Patagonia, pay ranges are assigned to a job based on the location specific market median of similar jobs according to 3rd party salary benchmark surveys. Individual pay within that range can vary for several reasons including skills/capabilities, experience, and available budget.

Benefits

Patagonia offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, retirement and leave of absence plans. Benefit plans may vary slightly depending on the nature of your employment.

Employee Conduct

It is the responsibility of every employee to contribute to a positive, inclusive work environment through cooperative and professional interactions with co-workers, customers and vendors.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other factors prohibited by law.