Manager, Merchandise Analytics

Overview

This role owns the enterprise post-season and post-launch analytical discipline for the Merchandise organization. The position establishes the rigor for how the business looks backward—measuring what actually happened against what was planned—so that forward-looking plans are grounded in evidence rather than intuition.

You will build and maintain a “hindsight” framework covering assortment performance, promotional effectiveness, sales and margin forecast accuracy, and new product introduction outcomes. Findings will be translated into clear, actionable recommendations that inform assortment planning, pricing strategy, and demand planning cycles.

The role is designed for an analytically rigorous professional who can work with SKU-level data and present a concise performance narrative to Merchant and Planning leadership.

Responsibilities

Hindsight Framework & Reporting

• Own the hindsight calendar and cadence, establishing and managing recurring post-season, post-promotion, and post-launch reviews across all merchandise categories
• Build standardized hindsight templates for sell-through, margin realization, forecast accuracy, markdown effectiveness, and inventory productivity
• Maintain data lineage and definitions to ensure consistent metrics and reliable data sourcing, enabling trusted, period-over-period comparisons
• Prepare and present the hindsight package to Merchants, Planning, and senior leadership with clear, prioritized recommendations

Performance Analysis

• Conduct assortment hindsight by quantifying SKU and category-level productivity, identifying winners, underperformers, and structural patterns to inform the next assortment cycle
• Evaluate promotional and pricing hindsight, measuring incrementality and margin impact; distinguish true lift from pull-forward and cannibalization
• Assess new product introduction hindsight against pre-launch forecast and go/no-go criteria; feed learnings back into the forecasting framework
• Measure demand forecast accuracy and bias by category, item, and horizon; partner with Demand Planning on root-cause analysis and remediation
• Measure margin forecast accuracy and bias by category, item, and horizon; partner on root-cause analysis and remediation

Insight to Action

• Close the loop by ensuring hindsight findings are documented, owned, and translated into changes in assortment, pricing, or planning assumptions—not just reported
• Partner with merchant teams as an analytical thought partner, framing findings constructively and focusing on decisions that should change
• Continuously improve the hindsight methodology as data availability, tooling, and business questions evolve

Success Metrics

In the first 12 months, performance will be evaluated on:

• Adoption: Hindsight reviews established as a standing input to assortment and pricing planning cycles across all major categories
• Actionability: A documented decision log showing specific plan changes driven by hindsight findings
• Forecast Accuracy: Established baseline measurement of forecast accuracy and bias, with a demonstrated improvement trend

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Statistics, Economics, or a related analytical field
• 6+ years of experience in financial analysis, merchandise finance, retail analytics, FP&A, banking, or a comparable analytical role
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex analysis into concise, actionable recommendations for non-technical audiences
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present findings clearly to cross-functional leadership
• Strong attention to detail, including the discipline to maintain consistent definitions and reproducible analysis
• High standards for accuracy and analytical integrity, with the ability to move quickly without sacrificing quality
• Demonstrated ability to work calmly in a fast-paced team environment while managing multiple concurrent workstreams

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience designing or significantly improving post-season or hindsight processes
• Proficiency in SQL or a comparable data query language
• Experience with enterprise planning tools such as Oracle, Hyperion, or similar
• Experience with enterprise resource planning software such as SAP
• Experience in furniture, home, or big-ticket retail

Compensation & Benefits

Expected base pay (not including potential commissions, incentive, bonus, etc.):

• $105,000 - $130,000

Benefits and perks include:

• Nationally provided Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Paid Vacation, Personal Days, Sick Days, Holidays, work anniversary, and Birthday
• 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan with a generous company match
• Pet Insurance
• Employer-paid basic Life Insurance, with the option to add Voluntary Life Insurance
• Financial Planning, Voluntary Legal Benefits, and Wellness Plans
• Generous Employee Discount starting on the 1st day
• Additional employee discounts through a discount program offering hundreds of online discounts
• Professional development opportunities, tuition reimbursement, and a scholarship program for employees and their dependents

Location

Not specified in the provided description.