Director of Company Merchandise Planning

WHY JOIN ALO?

Mindful movement. It’s at the core of why we do what we do at ALO—it’s our calling. Because mindful movement in the studio leads to better living. It changes who yogis are off the mat, making their lives and their communities better. That’s the real meaning of studio-to-street: taking the consciousness from practice on the mat and putting it into practice in life.

OVERVIEW:

The Director of Company Merchandise Planning plays a critical leadership role in shaping the strategic and financial direction of our growing business. This role is responsible for driving enterprise-wide planning—including product buys, seasonal forecasts, and long-range merchandise planning strategy—while aligning closely with key functions such as Finance, Merchandising, Inventory, Stores, and eCommerce. The ideal candidate brings deep retail experience, strong analytical skills, and the ability to translate trends and business insights into actionable plans that drive profitability and growth.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the creation of annual and multi-year financial merchandise plans, integrating top-line sales targets, margin objectives, and inventory flows across all channels (brick & mortar, eCommerce, franchise).
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to build and maintain strategic forecasts by season, product category, region, and channel.
• Guide the financial evaluation of new market opportunities, category expansions, and brand initiatives.
• Partner with Merchandise Planning to align financial targets with seasonal buys, sell-through projections, and product lifecycle strategies.
• Support Open-to-Buy (OTB) management across categories, ensuring alignment with company-level financial goals.
• Influence assortment strategies through financial insights and trend-based modeling.
• Develop and lead the monthly and quarterly business review process, identifying variances, risks, and opportunities against plan.
• Own executive reporting on Planning KPIs, sales trends, margin performance, and inventory productivity.
• Build and manage tools and dashboards that provide actionable visibility to key stakeholders across the business.
• Work cross-functionally with Merchandising, Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Store Operations, and Digital teams to ensure cohesive planning and execution.
• Drive alignment between top-down financial goals and bottom-up operational plans.
• Drive continuous improvement in planning tools, processes, and systems to enhance agility and accuracy.
• Champion the integration of planning best practices across the organization.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business, Fashion Merchandising, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
• 10+ years of planning, Merch Planning or strategy experience within the retail industry.
• Deep understanding of apparel/footwear/accessories retail economics, seasonal planning, product margins, and inventory dynamics.
• Demonstrated experience managing planning cycles across multiple channels (retail, eCommerce, franchise).
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; familiarity with planning systems (e.g., Anaplan, SAP, JDA, or similar).
• Exceptional communication skills and ability to influence across levels and functions.
• Experience in a vertical or multi-brand retail business.
• Proven success in fast-paced, trend-driven retail environments.
• Familiarity with DTC financial models, or omnichannel strategies.

The base salary range for this position is $185,000-$205,000 per year, which represents the current range for the base salary for this exempt position. Please note that actual salaries will vary based on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. As such, on occasion and when applicable, there is the possibility that the final, agreed-upon base salary may be outside of the upper end of the range. Please also note the range listed is just one component of the company’s total rewards package for exempt employees. Other rewards may include long term incentives, a PTO policy, and many other progressive benefits.

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