Job Description

The Director, Assortment Planning leads the strategy, development, and execution of store assortments to drive sales, margin, and customer experience. This role partners closely with Buying, Allocation, and Planning teams to ensure assortments are aligned to consumer demand and business goals. The Director also leads and develops a team while driving consistency and optimization across the assortment planning process.

Responsibilities

Assortment Strategy & Execution

• Lead end-to-end assortment planning from forecasting through go-to-market
• Develop pre-season assortment plans aligned to merchandise strategy
• Use analytics (rate of sale, clustering, door tiering) to optimize assortments
• Define SKU targets and manage product lifecycle planning
• Adjust assortments in-season based on performance, trends, and inventory
• Maximize sales, margin, and sell-through through assortment productivity

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Buying, Allocation, Space Planning, and Visual Merchandising teams
• Align assortment strategies with financial plans and store capacity
• Connect assortment decisions to brand investment and space allocation
• Collaborate on future assortment and space planning initiatives

Vendor & Market Engagement

• Build strong relationships with brand partners
• Participate in line reviews, pre-season meetings, and market travel
• Align on assortment strategy and go-to-market execution

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing assortment planning team
• Drive consistency through tools, processes, and decision frameworks
• Foster a collaborative, high-accountability team environment

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, or related field
• 10+ years of retail experience in a high-volume, trend-driven environment
• Strong assortment planning and retail math expertise
• Advanced Excel skills; Power BI experience preferred
• Experience with assortment planning tools and systems
• Proven ability to lead teams and drive cross-functional alignment
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities