Associate Planner

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.

Position Overview
As an Associate Planner within the Merchandise Planning team at Ralph Lauren, you will play a crucial role in optimizing inventory management, forecasting, and strategic planning to drive business performance. This position requires a blend of analytical skills, business acumen, and collaborative abilities to support the company's merchandise planning efforts. You should be detail-oriented with strong analytical skills, excellent communication abilities, and a passion for retail and merchandise planning. The ideal candidate will balance data-driven decision-making with strategic thinking to support Ralph Lauren's business objectives.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

1. Operation/Financial:
   Critically analyze trade reports and utilize knowledge to influence forecasting & promotional/MD planning. Optimize channel availability & take necessary trading actions. Own the line card process and translate impacts into department WSSI forecasting. Own department WSSI to reflect short- and long-term risks and opportunities to KPIs, communicating impacts to the planner. Find solutions to achieve EOH stock and average cost turn targets. Lead department/brand hindsight analysis and communicate key learnings to relevant stakeholders. Partner with buying counterparts to formulate the department forward strategy, communicating risks and opportunities to the planner and suggesting potential solutions. Drive OTB process, utilizing forward strategies and collaborating with buying counterparts to understand category changes impacting KPIs, and communicating to management. Oversee seasonal recodes, markdowns, and communication to stores. Deputize for Planner.
2. Commercial Awareness:
   Lead regular store visits, analyze store reports, and present feedback to the team. Understand where RL fits within the wider retail environment through comprehensive competitor analysis and identify areas of opportunity & risk.
3. Training and Development:
   Adopt a positive and proactive approach to training and development, both personally and for peers. Seek improvement in processes & increase efficiencies. Coach and train the team, helping them acquire skills & knowledge to be more effective. Support the team in achieving their personal goals. Participate in company initiatives as appropriate and prioritize psychological safety.
4. Communications & Partnerships:
   Create and maintain strong working relationships within cross-functional teams: Buying, Allocations, ECOM, and retail store teams. Liaise with Assortment Planning and Buying partners to review and assist in the formation of seasonal lessons learned, influencing future buys using analysis and historical data to ensure commercial decisions are made.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

1. Strong analytical and numerical mindset.
2. Effective communicator - able to communicate messages clearly and concisely to various audiences.
3. Able to work autonomously, results-oriented, and able to 'think outside the box'.
4. Able to demonstrate logical analysis and problem-solving skills.
5. Solution-oriented with an entrepreneurial attitude.
6. Able to organize, prioritize tasks, and manage time well to meet deadlines.
7. Demonstrates self-awareness of their impact on others & seeks feedback on ways to improve.
8. Able to build and maintain productive relationships within a team environment.
9. Competent in using Microsoft Excel and BI reporting tools.
10. Attention to detail.
11. Able to demonstrate resilience and remain positive during challenging periods.
12. Regularly recognize & praise good work.
13. Lead by example & be a good associate role model.
14. Desire to have fun at work and an appreciation for product.