Merchandise Planner - job 1 of 2

At Backcountry, our mission is to connect people to their passions. Our four online stores—Backcountry, Competitive Cyclist, MotoSport and, SteepandCheap—aim to supply our customers with the gear, knowledge, and inspiration necessary to get out there and chase down life’s greatest moments. We do this by providing the biggest and best assortment of premium outdoor products, superior shopping experience, personalized Gearhead expertise, lightning-fast and accurate fulfillment, and inspirational, informative, and community-centered content. 

The Merchandise Planner position requires excellent analytical skills, retail or ecommerce business experience, and the ability to work well independently and with a team. This role is diverse and dynamic.The Merchandise Planner works closely with the Merchandising Teams and is responsible for creating open-to-buy merchandise plans and managing appropriate inventory levels. This includes but is not limited to analyzing sales data, forecasting demand, managing inventory levels, margin and pricing recommendations, and other in-depth business analytics. 

This role is challenging – above and beyond the day-to-day responsibilities, you’ll have a big role within a fast-paced team.

This position will report into the Merchandise Planning Manager.

• Develop merchandise plans: Create comprehensive merchandise plans that align with company goals, sales targets, and market trends for multiple product categories
• Manage Open-to-Buy meetings and monthly reviews with senior leadership
• Forecast demand: Utilize historical data, market trends, and customer insights to accurately forecast sales, inventory needs, and replenishment strategies
• Inventory management: Monitor inventory levels, analyze sell-through rates, and recommend appropriate actions to both increase and decrease on order quantities to optimize sales and inventory turnover while minimizing stock-outs and overstock situations
• Financial analysis: Conduct regular analysis of sales performance, margin trends, and product profitability to identify opportunities and risks, and provide actionable recommendations to senior management
• Manage the financial success of a division(s) by meeting sales, margin, and inventory turn goals
• Ensure structured reporting deliverables are met, evaluating reports for accuracy, performance efficiency, and standardized best practices
• Able to analyze business and find actionable data and present findings in a clear and concise manner
• Exhibits initiative to look beyond the everyday business to look for opportunities to maximize sales potentials
• Perform all other duties as assigned

• 3+ years Assortment/Demand/Merchandise planning experience preferred, including 2+ years in a retail ecommerce environment.  Softgoods experience is a plus.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience
• Demonstrate strong analytical and problem solving skills: exceptional aptitude with numbers; retail math skills
• Able to develop and maintain strong working relationships and communicate well with peers and cross-functional teams; identifies/influences critical stakeholders
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills. Concisely presents complex information/recommendations in terms meaningful to various audiences 
• Collaborative team player
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities 
• Able to perform under pressure, organize and prioritize workload to meet deadlines 
• Ability to utilize AI to enhance job productivity as well as a desire to grow this skill set
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel and strong aptitude to learn technical applications quickly 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Knowledge of demand planning, allocation, and forecasting system is a plus
• Ability to advance to high levels of computer literacy; exposure to relevant planning, finance, analytical, data management systems 
• Experience planning a mixed brand business is preferred  

• Executive Access: Work directly with brand CEOs and senior leadership, solving real business problems and earning mentorship from top operators. 
• AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with the most advanced AI tools in the market. From automation to prompt engineering, you’ll build a modern tech stack that sets you apart in any industry. 
• Accelerated Career Path: High performers are quickly entrusted with greater responsibility, new challenges, and leadership opportunities across our portfolio of brands. 
• Competitive benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k)/RRSP match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts at our portfolio companies 

• 📞Step 1: If you align with our vision and meet the qualifications, we’ll reach out to schedule a conversation and introduce Backcountry. 
• 🧠 Step 2: You’ll complete a short AI or product-building challenge so we can understand how you approach problems and execution. 
• 💬 Step 3: Participate in deep-dive interviews with Backcountry leadership focused on your experience, product mindset, and operational thinking. 
• 📩 Step 4: Offer. We’ll move fast for the right candidate. 

The CSC family of brands provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, provincial, state or local laws.  

The CSC family of brands is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact [email protected].