Sr. Director, Planning at Retrofête

The Sr. Director, Planning will lead the planning function for our two brands, Retrofête and Seroya, partnering closely with Leadership, Merchandising, Production, Finance, Operations, and Sales teams to drive inventory strategy, forecasting, and business performance across all channels. This person will oversee the end-to-end planning process, implement elevated reporting and forecasting frameworks, and help shape the long-term business strategy for both brands.

Key Responsibilities

Business & Inventory Strategy

· Lead all planning functions across Retrofête and Seroya, overseeing sales forecasting, inventory management, assortment planning, and OTB strategies across wholesale, eCommerce, and retail channels.

· Develop and manage seasonal and annual financial plans aligned with company growth objectives, margin goals, and inventory targets.

· Drive inventory optimization strategies to improve sell-through, minimize markdown exposure, and maximize profitability across channels.

· Partner closely with Merchandising, Buying, Design, and Production to align inventory investments with seasonal product strategies, customer demand, and brand priorities.

· Provide strategic guidance on buy depth, category allocation, size scaling, and inventory flow to support productivity, profitability, and inventory health.

· Influence key product and assortment decisions through hindsight analysis, historical performance, and forward-looking trend insights.

· Collaborate with Buying and Merchandising teams to identify whitespace opportunities, chase opportunities, and areas of inventory risk across both brands.

· Evaluate business risks and opportunities through weekly, monthly, and seasonal analysis, providing actionable recommendations to leadership.

Forecast & S&OP Planning

· Partner with COO to establish and lead a refined Sales & Operations Planning process that unifies Merchandising, Planning, Production, Operations, and Finance around a single forward-looking view of the business.

· Translate sales trends, market insights, customer demand signals, and inventory performance into actionable forecasts and operational decisions.

· Lead monthly and quarterly forecasting process across both brands, ensuring alignment between financial targets and inventory strategies.

· Partner with Operations and Production teams to support inventory flow, launch timing, replenishment opportunities, and capacity planning.

Reporting & Analytics

· Build and maintain elevated reporting tools and KPI dashboards that provide visibility into sales performance, inventory health, margin performance, and business trends.

· Deliver weekly, monthly and ad hoc reporting and business recaps to leadership.

· Analyze performance by category, channel, customer, and product lifecycle to identify growth opportunities and areas of risk.

· Drive a data-informed decision-making culture while balancing analytical rigor with brand and customer intuition.

Cross-Functional Leadership

· Serve as a key strategic partner to the COO and leadership on broader business initiatives, growth planning, and operational strategy.

· Act as a strategic counterpart to Buying and Merchandising, balancing brand vision with commercial performance and inventory productivity.

· Collaborate closely with Merchandising, Production, Logistics, Retail, eCommerce, and Wholesale teams to ensure alignment across all business functions.

· Support pricing, markdown, and promotional strategies through detailed margin, sell-through, and customer behavior analysis.

· Lead and mentor the Planner, helping to build scalable planning processes and strengthen analytical capabilities within the team.

Systems & Process Optimization

· Continuously refine planning process, tools, and reporting capabilities to support scalability and operational excellence.

· Partner with Technology and Operations teams to optimize ERP and inventory planning systems, including NetSuite and related reporting tools.

· Identify opportunities to leverage AI, automation, and advanced analytics to improve forecasting accuracy, reporting efficiency, and inventory decision-making.

Requirements

· 10+ years of planning, merchandising, or inventory management experience within contemporary, advanced contemporary, or luxury fashion.

· Strong understanding of wholesale, DTC, and retail business models within a high-growth fashion environment.

· Proven experience leading forecasting, inventory strategy, and financial planning functions for a multi-channel business.

· Highly tical with advanced Excel and reporting capabilities; experience with NetSuite strongly preferred.

· Ability to operate both strategically and hands-on within a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

· Strong leadership and people management skills with experience developing high-performing teams.

· Strong understanding of inventory flow, margin management, and fashion business seasonality.

· Experience implementing scalable planning frameworks, reporting structures, and operational processes.

· Interest in leveraging technology and AI-driven tools to modernize planning and forecasting capabilities.

Benefits

• Salary Range: $160,000 - $195,000

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)