Manager, Merchandising Planning – Bake & Event Planning

Position Summary... What you'll do...

Role summary: The (USA) Manager, Merchandising Planning, applies advanced expertise to develop and execute strategic action plans that align with business objectives and customer needs. This role leads financial forecasting, category management, and data-driven analysis to optimize merchandising performance and profitability. Collaborating cross-functionally, the manager influences promotional strategies, budget development, and business decisions while maintaining compliance with company policies and ethical standards.

The position requires strong leadership in driving continuous improvement, leveraging insights to guide teams, and delivering measurable financial results that support Walmart’s commitment to operational excellence and customer value.

About the team: The team provides essential support for planning analytics and profit and loss management within the D67 Bake/Event business. It leverages data analysis and financial forecasting to guide category management and merchandising decisions. Collaborating across functions, the team drives alignment on forecasts and promotional strategies to optimize business outcomes. By applying insights from market trends and customer behavior, the team influences financial targets and operational plans.

This group is committed to delivering accurate financial perspectives and actionable recommendations that enhance performance and support the company’s strategic goals.

What you'll do:

• Lead financial forecasting and category planning using data analytics and business intelligence to project future results and align cross-functional teams.
• Influence feature and promotional strategies by analyzing historical performance and customer demand trends to optimize inventory and pricing.
• Provide actionable insights and recommendations to improve category performance, profitability, and customer outcomes.
• Develop and manage category budgets, ensuring accurate financial targets and reporting.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to assess business health, identify opportunities, and drive strategic decisions.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging digital tools and promoting talent development within the team.

What you'll bring:

• Proven expertise in merchandising and category management with strong financial forecasting skills.
• Ability to analyze complex data and leverage business intelligence to drive actionable insights.
• Experience managing profit and loss (P&L) responsibilities and developing category financial targets.
• Strong collaboration skills to partner cross-functionally and align forecasting and promotional strategies.
• Demonstrated capability to assess business health, identify root causes, and recommend improvements.
• Proficiency in using data visualization tools to communicate findings and influence decision-making.
• Commitment to ethical leadership and fostering a high-performing, accountable team environment.

At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.

You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable. For information about PTO, see  Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities.

Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid by Walmart.

Eligibility requirements…