Merchandise Planner

Adventure is our Culture. Join a team that celebrates a lifestyle as bold as the terrain we love. At Backcountry, we are rooted in adventure, recognition, and wellbeing on and off the mountain. We spotlight employee stories, celebrate milestones, and offer exclusive outdoor perks. Whether you are at HQ, in a retail store, or remote, you will be part of a team that thrives on energy, exploration, and connection.

Reports to: Planning Manager

Location: Cottonwood Heights, Utah (Hybrid)

About the Role:

Backcountry is looking for a Merchandise Planner to own open-to-buy planning, demand forecasting, and inventory management across multiple product categories. As Merchandise Planner, you will partner closely with Merchandising teams to build comprehensive merchandise plans, manage inventory levels, and deliver financial analysis that drives sales, margin, and inventory turn goals.

In your first six months, success means owning the open-to-buy process for your division(s), building strong cross-functional relationships with merchandising partners, and delivering actionable recommendations that improve sales performance and inventory health.

This is a lean team. You will own a lot, move fast, and make decisions with full end-to-end responsibility.

What You'll Do:

Develop 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 using historical data, market trends, and customer insights to determine sales projections, inventory needs, and replenishment strategies

Monitor inventory levels, analyze sell-through rates, and recommend actions to optimize on-order quantities, maximizing sales and inventory turnover while minimizing stock-outs and overstock

Conduct regular financial analysis of sales performance, margin trends, and product profitability to identify opportunities and risks with actionable recommendations

Manage the financial success of assigned division(s) by meeting sales, margin, and inventory turn goals

Ensure structured reporting deliverables are met with accuracy, performance efficiency, and standardized best practices

Analyze business data to surface actionable insights and present findings clearly to cross-functional stakeholders

Required Qualifications:

3+ years of assortment, demand, or merchandise planning experience, including 2+ years in a retail ecommerce environment

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with exceptional aptitude for numbers and retail math

High proficiency with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, vlookups, or more advanced)

Exceptional communication and presentation skills with the ability to distill complex information for various audiences

Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships across cross-functional teams and influence key stakeholders

Demonstrated daily use of AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, or similar) for real work — you iterate on prompts, evaluate outputs critically, and know when AI is the right tool

Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities with the ability to organize and prioritize workload under pressure

Preferred Qualifications:

Softgoods planning experience

Experience planning a mixed-brand business

Knowledge of demand planning, allocation, and forecasting systems (e.g., JDA, Oracle, SAP, Anaplan)

Exposure to relevant finance, analytical, and data management systems

Why Join:

The people who do best here are builders. They take ownership, move fast, and want to see the direct impact of their work.

Cross-Functional Impact: Your work directly shapes buying decisions, inventory strategy, and financial outcomes across multiple product categories — partnering with merchandising, finance, and operations teams.

AI-First Skill Building: Get hands-on with advanced AI tools for analysis, forecasting, and automation — building a modern skill set that accelerates your career.

Ownership from Day One: Own your division(s) end-to-end, from building the merchandise plan to presenting recommendations and managing financial outcomes.

Competitive Benefits: Paid time off policies, 401(k) match, medical/dental/vision and a variety of supplemental policies, and employee discounts across our portfolio of brands.

Interview Process:

1. Recruiter Screen - A 45-minute conversation with our recruiting team to align on the role, your background, and what you are looking for.
2. Hiring Manager Interview - Conversation with the Planning Manager focused on your merchandise planning experience, analytical approach, and cross-functional collaboration style.
3. Take-Home Assignment - A short challenge to understand how you approach problems and execution in a planning context.
4. In-Person Interview - We'd like to meet you at our Cottonwood Heights office. Details and logistics will be arranged with your recruiter.
5. Reference Checks - Conducted in parallel with the final stages where possible.
6. Offer - We move quickly for the right candidate.

Interview process is subject to change. Any updates will be communicated promptly and clearly.

Please Note:

Part of our interview process is a mandatory in-person interview with someone on our team prior to an offer. Candidates that are unwilling or unable to meet for an in-person interview will be removed from consideration immediately.