Merch Planner, Baby

Target

Merchandise Planner at Target responsible for financial planning and assortment strategies. Providing insights and collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize inventory for projected sales.

Posted 7/14/2026full-timeMinneapolis • Minnesota • 🇺🇸 United StatesJuniorMid-Level💰 $73,000 - $132,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in Merchandising and Inventory Management, with strong analytical and financial skills to drive decision-making and optimize product assortments. Collaborates effectively with cross-functional teams to support strategic initiatives and adapt to changing market conditions.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Merchandising ExperienceDemand ForecastingAnalytical SkillsCollaboration SkillsFinancial Analysis

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills

Comparative AnalysisAssortment PlanningRoot Cause AnalysisScenario PlanningUnit PlanningForecast InterpretationPromo PlanningChase-Cancel Decision SupportOperationalizationFinancial Validity Assessment

Soft Skills

Strategic ThinkingFlexibilityResilienceCommunication

Certifications & Qualifications

Four-Year Degree or Equivalent Experience

Industry Keywords

Inventory ManagementSupply ChainCross-Functional TeamsVendor ManagementCategory Expertise

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Conduct comparative analysis of holiday or other seasonal performance reports and provide the insights that inform the Inventory team’s work to ensure that product supports projected sales
Act as the hub between Merchandising and Supply Chain, creating a financial link between these two essential groups
Provide in-season decision support, collaborate on assortment planning, recommend localization and channel strategies including cluster types and profiles, and lead demand forecasting
Support the divisional strategy through category expertise and partnerships with cross-functional teams and vendors
Head up the open-to-buy process and decide on category-level investment and the financial validity of assortments
Conduct root cause analysis for variation between supply and demand forecasts to support “chase-cancel” decisions and communicate implications to vendors
Conduct scenario planning, build unit plans, and lead initial set planning and operationalization to optimize assortments
Interpret forecast results and conduct “what if?” analysis to guide go-forward recommendations
Validate unit promo planning forecast, drive maintenance, risk analysis and decision-making by the Pricing & Promotion Center of Excellence
Run event forecast creation and flow, analyze item lifecycles and drive recommendations on end-of-season management

Requirements

What you’ll need

Four-year degree or equivalent experience
2-6 years of relevant experience
3+ years of Merchandising experience
Strong strategic, financial, and analytical skills; can easily translate data from an array of sources into insights and recommendations
Strong collaboration skills to partner with cross-functional teams
Flexible, resilient and comfortable working in “grey areas” that are constantly changing

Benefits

Comp & perks

comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more
401(k)
employee discount
short term disability
long term disability
paid sick leave
paid national holidays
paid vacation