Imagine working for a company with a mission you can truly believe in, a playful and energetic culture, a talented team of coworkers, and a bright future! Melissa & Doug, the toy company committed to igniting imagination and a sense of wonder in all children so they can discover their passions and purpose, is looking for a Planning Manager to support our Walmart Business. In this role, you'll be an essential part of creating thoughtfully designed toys that encourage children to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, the possible in the impossible. Role Overview We are seeking a Planning Manager to support our growing Walmart business! In this role, you will build collaborative relationships, own the forecast & budget plan for the Walmart business, and define financial planning and data analysis processes for our business. This role is critical to delivering our strategic business growth for Melissa & Doug. This position will be accountable for establishing key sales, profit, and shipment goals by leveraging insights and category knowledge to make informed business plans. This individual will also be responsible for providing actionable insights to drive ongoing improvement for our business. Our ideal candidate has a combination of superb analytical capabilities, outstanding business insight, and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Responsibilities
- Continuously review forecast performance and customer satisfaction to ensure achievement of performance objectives
- Lead analysis of sales data to garner key insights that can help drive assortment/business decisions and to ensure growth plans remain consistent with annual goals, and make necessary recommendations on course adjustments as needed
- Manage Sales Admin/Planning support staff
- Proactively and consistently communicate forecasting and execution needs with key internal and external partners
- Develop presentations on relevant operating and forecasting metrics in an easy-to-understand format for the business to use in driving well informed decision making
- Provide timely and accurate analytics to support actionable and strategic business decisions
- Drive effective teamwork, communication, collaboration and commitment with business partners
- Develop monthly and annual shipment plans, working closely with the customer on an inventory JBP
- Analyze retailer data and internal sales data to provide fact-based sell story to profitably increase sales
- Collect and provide support materials for retail partners needed to drive growth
- Develop, implement, and track key performance indicators (KPI) to measure business success
- Own monthly POS and shipment forecasts for demand planning
- Review customer on-hand inventory and demand forecasts to develop an accurate shipment forecast
- Accurately forecast across multiple sources of supply (domestic, direct import, drop ships, etc)
- Lead cross-functional communication around custom product development, inventory availability, order flow, order issues, cost/pricing, and promotional planning
- Build forecasting and launch plans for new product or new marketplace launches
- Track the success of new item launches and make recommendations to optimize based on performance
- Miscellaneous duties as assigned
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Statistics, Business Analytics, Marketing or related field preferred; MBA preferred
- 7+ years of proven experience in data analysis, report building, research or similar work
- Experience operating Walmart forecasting and analytical tools
- Advanced problem-solving, research and data analysis skills with the ability to forecast to anticipate trends to make data-driven decisions
- Experience using Tableau strongly preferred
- Leadership experience preferred but not required
- Super Excel user, with ability to perform complex functions and formulas, and analyze high volumes of data
- High degree of proficiency with developing custom reports
- Strong knowledge of Google suites or Microsoft office
- Excellent interpersonal & multi-tasking ability with excellent time management skills
- Intellectual curiosity, ability to use research to test hypotheses and provide a strategic point of view
- Proven experience creating executive-level reports & dashboards
- Ability to create forward-looking plans and budgets, and manage multiple projects at a time
- High bias for action and results focused
- Proven track record of meeting deadlines and taking initiative to make confident and well-informed decisions
- Ability to proactively communicate key takeaways and findings effectively & efficiently
- We expect all associates to model teamwork and collaboration, organizational awareness, be results focused and to have a growth mindset
Our Story It all started in 1988 with a boy, a girl, and a dream to make meaningful toys that would inspire hands-on, imaginative play. From classic wooden toys to realistic pretend play sets, Melissa & Doug makes well-crafted toys that are developed with care to be passed down from generation to generation or shared family to family. Whether it's creating high-quality toys that are made to last, planting trees to restore the resources we use, or ensuring our products encourage open-ended play for all kinds of kids, we're on a journey to make the world a better, more sustainable place.. While the company approaches $1 billion at retail annually, the quality of every toy, the experience of every child, and the trust of every parent remains at the center of everything we do. To learn more about our mission and commitment to sustainability, go to MelissaAndDoug.com Melissa & Doug proudly goes beyond being an equal opportunity employer, we work hard to sustain and enhance the natural and organic inclusivity that is fostered every day, by every associate. We don't do this because anyone tells us this is important, we do it because we genuinely want every person who comes to work here to be treated with respect and dignity and to be comfortable being their most authentic, genuine selves. We hire for character, kindness, humanity, and experience . . . therefore, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race; religion; age; sex; national origin; color; ancestry; physical, mental, or learning disability; sexual orientation; transgender status; gender identity and expression; veteran or military status; along with any and all other legally protected characteristics. In that light, we will provide reasonable accommodations consistent with applicable law as it relates to disability and religious beliefs/practices.