Director, Merchandising Planning

Famehouse, a division of Universal Music Group, is seeking a strategic and analytically driven Director of Merchandise Planning to support global merchandise planning and financial performance across our artist roster. This role will serve as a key partner to the VP of Product Merchandising, acting as the connective link between Merchandising and Finance to ensure disciplined planning, forecasting, and performance management.

• Establish scalable planning frameworks that improve forecast accuracy and drive revenue and margin performance.
• Enable data-driven merchandising decisions through reporting, insights, and financial analysis.
• Serve as a key partner to Finance and Merchandising, ensuring alignment on targets, risks, and opportunities.
• Bring structure and visibility to the merchandising business through consistent processes and performance tracking.

• Partner with the VP of Product Merchandising and Finance to develop revenue forecasts, margin targets, and financial plans across artists and channels.
• Own and manage forecasting processes, including Open-to-Buy planning, demand forecasting, and scenario modeling.
• Monitor performance against plan, identifying risks and opportunities and driving corrective actions.
• Support long-range planning and budgeting processes.

• Partner with Merchandising to ensure line plans are grounded in financial targets and performance expectations.
• Analyze assortment productivity, pricing architecture, and margin performance across categories and channels.
• Provide recommendations to optimize assortment mix, pricing, and inventory allocation.
• Support pre-season and in-season planning decisions through data and analysis.

• Build and maintain standardized reporting frameworks and dashboards across DTC, retail, international, and tour channels.
• Track and communicate key performance indicators (KPIs), including revenue, margin, sell-through, and inventory health.
• Deliver actionable insights based on sales data, consumer behavior, and market trends.
• Partner with analytics and data teams to enhance reporting capabilities and tools.

• Serve as the primary liaison between Merchandising and Finance, ensuring alignment on assumptions, targets, and performance.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Production, and Retail teams to align inventory, demand planning, and financial expectations.
• Support business reviews, providing clear narratives on performance and forward-looking risks and opportunities.

• Establish and standardize planning processes, tools, and templates across the merchandising organization.
• Drive consistency in line planning inputs, financial assumptions, and reporting methodologies.
• Improve speed, accuracy, and transparency of planning across a growing global business.

• 8–12+ years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, or analytics within retail, fashion, consumer products, or entertainment.
• Strong financial acumen, including forecasting, margin analysis, and inventory planning.
• Experience working closely with merchandising and finance teams in a cross-functional environment.
• Advanced analytical skills with proficiency in Excel and data tools (e.g., Tableau, Looker, or similar).
• Ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience building or improving planning processes and systems.
• Financial planning and forecasting.
• Merchandise planning and analytics.
• Data analysis and insight generation.
• Cross-functional leadership and influence.
• Process development and optimization.
• Strategic thinking with operational rigor.

Here are some of the ways we support you along the way (and just a few of the benefits we offer):

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 100% coverage for out-patient in-network mental health services
• Fertility coverage for eligible medical plan participants
• Wellbeing reimbursements for fitness classes, spa treatments, meal services, travel, and so much more (up to $720/year)
• Student Loan Repayment…