Summary
We are seeking a Director of Merchandising & Planning to lead the strategic merchandise planning, allocation, and optimization of inventory across retail, wholesale, e-commerce, consignment, and international channels.
This role sits at the intersection of product, finance, operations, and commercial performance and is critical to ensuring the right product is in the right place at the right time - while managing inventory health, cash flow, and risk in a fine jewelry business. The ideal candidate brings analytical rigor, operational discipline, and strong product intuition, and is comfortable acting as both a strategic thought partner and an owner of day-to-day execution.
Key Responsibilities
Merchandising & Assortment Strategy
- Partner with Creative, Design, and Sales teams to develop assortment strategies that balance new launches, core styles, and proven best sellers
- Create and maintain merchandising guidelines for assortments across stores, pop-ups, trunk shows, events, and key domestic and international markets
- Ensure assortments consistently reflect the brand identity while meeting commercial objectives
- Evaluate assortment performance and recommend style rationalization, discontinuation, resets, or archival decisions
Inventory Planning, Forecasting & Replenishment
- Develop and maintain demand forecasts across e-commerce, retail, wholesale, consignment, international, and event channels, aligned with inventory budgets and financial targets
- Own inventory planning, purchasing, allocation, and replenishment strategies by channel and location
- Manage replenishment for core and best-selling styles to optimize availability, sell-through, and stock levels
- Analyze sell-through, inventory turns, weeks of supply, and stock-to-sales ratios to guide planning and allocation decisions
- Incorporate production timelines, vendor lead times, and seasonal demand patterns into forecasting and buying plans
- Oversee inbound and outbound inventory flows across domestic and international partners and distribution points
Consignment, Memo & Special Programs
- Oversee consignment and memo programs, ensuring accurate tracking, reconciliation, and reporting
- Partner with Sales and Operations to manage inventory risk associated with special placements, events, and international partners
Financial, Reporting & Analytical Oversight
- Own inventory-related KPIs and reporting, including inventory aging, sell-through, margin, and working capital impact
- Produce regular reporting on inventory health and performance for leadership and cross-functional teams
- Deliver clear insights and recommendations related to markdowns, reorders, reallocations, and inventory risk
- Maintain master assortment, allocation, and replenishment trackers as a central planning resource
Systems, Process & Optimization
- Support ERP implementation and ongoing system optimization to ensure data accuracy and operational integrity
- Develop and refine reporting tools, workflows, and planning processes to improve visibility and decision-making
- Implement best practices for inventory controls, including cycle counts, audits, and reconciliations
- Identify opportunities for automation and process improvement as the business scales
Cross-Functional Leadership & Collaboration
- Serve as a key thought partner to Retail, E-commerce, Wholesale, Operations, Finance, and Production teams
- Translate data into actionable insights that support strategic decision-making
- Help establish scalable planning frameworks and discipline as we grow our retail and global footprint
Ideal Candidate Profile
Experience
- 10-15+ years of experience in merchandising, inventory planning, or demand planning
- Background in luxury, fine jewelry, fashion, or adjacent premium categories strongly preferred
- Experience managing inventory across multiple channels, including retail, wholesale, and e-commerce
- Proven ability to balance creative product strategy with financial discipline
- Track record of building or significantly improving planning processes and systems in a growth-stage environment
- Hands-on experience with ERP systems (NetSuite preferred) and advanced planning tools
- Experience managing consignment, memo, or similar inventory programs with complex tracking requirements
- History of successfully managing precious materials inventory and understanding the unique cash flow dynamics of fine jewelry
- Experience leading or mentoring junior planning team members
Skills & Attributes
- Highly analytical, with strong Excel and planning tool proficiency
- Deep understanding of inventory health, aging, and cash flow dynamics
- Organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing complexity
- Strategic thinker with a hands-on, ownership-oriented approach
- Collaborative, pragmatic, and confident communicator
What Success Looks Like? Within the first 6–12 months, this leader will have:
- Completed a comprehensive assessment of current inventory position, assortment architecture, and planning processes across all channels
- Established standardized reporting cadence and KPI dashboards for inventory health, sell-through, and aging
- Developed a demand forecasting framework that integrates production timelines, channel performance, and seasonal patterns
- Implemented improved replenishment processes for core and best-selling styles, reducing stockouts and improving availability
- Created clear assortment guidelines for retail locations, wholesale partners, and key events
- Partnered with Finance to establish inventory budgets and open-to-buy processes aligned with cash flow targets
- Built strong working relationships with Creative, Sales, Operations, and Production teams as a trusted planning partner
- Identified and begun addressing the highest-impact opportunities for inventory optimization and working capital improvement
- Supported ERP implementation efforts with clean data, accurate reporting, and process documentation
