Assistant Planner

$66,560 - $66,560/Yr

Grocery Outlet - Emeryville, CA

Full-time - Entry Level

Emeryville, CA

Food and Beverage Retailers

About the position

As an Assistant Planner at Grocery Outlet, you will play a crucial role in managing the distribution of merchandise to support the company's strategic plans. This position is highly hands-on, requiring quick decision-making and effective management of key warehouse and planning relationships. You will be responsible for providing accurate inventory information for your assigned departments, ensuring that product inventories at all stores are optimized to facilitate optimum code life, minimize seasonal markdowns, and maximize inventory turns. Your role will involve recommending and executing changes as necessary to enhance profitability and productivity across the board. In this fast-paced environment, you will be expected to understand and execute the appropriate distribution of products to stores, thereby maximizing store turns and profitability. You will implement the company's "Treasure Hunt" philosophy and merchandise assortment strategy through effective execution of product allocation to stores. Analyzing store-level data to identify trends at the chain, region, and store levels will be a key part of your responsibilities, allowing you to recommend and implement changes as appropriate. You will also execute seasonal distributions in accordance with the direction provided by the planning and purchasing teams, manage items approaching expiration in the warehouse, and address slower-moving items on the Aged report. Your role will require you to build and maintain effective working relationships within a cross-functional team, including District Sales Managers, the Planning Department, the Purchasing Department, and store personnel. You will participate in cross-functional meetings, contributing to distribution strategies and reviewing in-stock positions with planners and buyers on a weekly basis. Your analytical skills will be essential as you present analytics and reports to various levels of management, demonstrating logical analysis and problem-solving skills through organization and prioritization. Additionally, you will assist buyers with updates on potential inventory or code date issues and execute profitable entrance and exit strategies for new, seasonal, and replacement programs. Store and warehouse visits may be necessary to ensure effective execution of your responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Understand and execute appropriate distribution of products to stores to maximize store turns and profitability
• Implement the company's 'Treasure Hunt' philosophy and merchandise assortment strategy through effective execution of product allocation to stores
• Analyze store level data to identify chain/region/store level trends and recommend/implement changes and action as appropriate
• Execute category/sub-class trends regionally and identify specific merchandise needs through knowledge of regional and climatic characteristics
• Execute seasonal distributions in accordance with direction provided by planning & purchasing teams
• Responsible for managing those items approaching expiration in the warehouse
• Responsible for managing items on the Aged report (slower moving items - identify and collaborate with planner, action as appropriate)
• Responsible for building, in partnership with set crew, an appropriate inventory mix to support new store openings
• Manage store distribution groups based on location, volume, size, demographics and sales trends
• Own cross-functional communication regarding product sales, inventory position, and distributions for all stores
• Build, develop, and maintain effective and productive working relationships within cross-functional team (District Sales Managers, Planning Department, Purchasing Department, Stores, Distribution Center, etc.)
• Participate in cross-functional meetings, contributing on distribution strategies
• Review MTO items in-stock position with planners/buyers - weekly
• Demonstrate logical analysis and problem-solving skills through organization and prioritization
• Demonstrate superior listening, written, and oral communication skills
• Present analytics and reports to various levels of management
• Assists buyers with updates on potential inventory or code date issues on all products
• Execute profitable entrance and exit strategies as determined by planning, with merchandising for new, seasonal and replacement programs
• Visit stores and warehouses as necessary
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education and/or relevant experience
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to make solid decisions quickly based on limited information
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form
• Intermediate experience with Excel preferred
• Ability to work independently, as well as with a team
• Concern for achieving positive outcomes and growing the business; willing to get involved in all aspects of the process
• Ability to be creative, resourceful and take ownership over your categories

Benefits

• 401(k) Profit Sharing
• Medical, Dental, Vision & More!