Merchandise Planning Analyst (6 Month Contract)

Who we are

Staples Canada is on journey to become the Working and Learning Company. We are dynamic, inspiring partners to our customers and the communities in which we live.

At Staples, we inspire people to work smarter, learn more and grow every day. We look for people who are curious, approachable and passionate, and who enjoy finding solutions.

If that's you, let's work, learn and grow together.

Some of what you will do

As the Merchandise Planning Analyst, you bring alive the promise of work, learn, grow for our customers by supporting Retail Stores and the E-commerce business with the right amount of inventory, at the right time and at the right place.

You will work closely with Category Specialists, Category Managers and other cross-functional team members to forecast, provide order recommendations, order fulfillment and overall inventory management duties.

You will also regularly analyze current and historical trends to provide insights within categories and execute aspects of reverse logistics program.

With a large scope of impact and partnerships with a variety of stakeholders, each day will be fast-paced, challenging, rewarding and meaningful.

Specifically, you will :

• Perform daily inventory fulfillment tasks in your category including purchase order creation and determine allocation of available inventory to Stores and Fulfillment Centres.
• Review inventory KPI's on a frequent basis and evaluate inventory management opportunities and results, in partnership with the Category Manager.
• Manage Store and Fulfillment Centre inventory balancing customer experience, sales while managing to the inventory KPI's.
• Complete the daily out of stock review, identifying trends and inventory depth opportunities that could result in out of stocks.
• Maintain proper SKU / Vendor setup as it relates to replenishment parameters in AS400, JDA Advanced Store Replenishment and / or Advanced Warehouse Replenishment applications.
• Follow up with vendors on outstanding purchase orders to ensure flow of merchandise / supply chain is in place. Communicate with vendors regarding inventory availability and forecasting.
• Collect, analyze and report on sales / inventory data to support seasonality and trends, and uncover opportunities.
• Analyze inventory and sales data (where required) to support proposed promotion position and evaluate impact on current and future inventory levels to determine the best way to support customers.
• Leverage JDA tools (e.g. profiling and seasonality) to improve inventory turns, in-stock and service level by fulfillment node.
• Identify unexpected inventory opportunities between sales and forecast. Research to determine root cause working closely with the Merchant team and provide recommendations.
• Manage customer fulfillment KPI's such as in-stock, late purchase order management, vendor fill rates, system lead days, etc.
• Issue and follow up with fulfillment nodes regarding the return to vendor (RTV) program to ensure cost recovery and that inventory is removed from the system in a timely manner.
• Execute department and SKU level plans to drive unique Store / FC merchandise inventory strategies.

Some of what you need

• 2-3 years prior experience in a Merchandising, Buying or Supply Chain role is preferred.
• Experience with business intelligence / decision support software
• Experience in JDA software
• Post Secondary education with a focus on retail management, inventory or supply chain is an asset
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite (specifically Excel, Outlook, Access, Word, PowerPoint, Power BI), SQL and VBA.
• Big Data Analytics - ability to provide insights, and / or predict opportunities proactively by extracting information from the data lake.
• Ability to communicate effectively across a variety of stakeholders.
• Curious
• Approachable
• Passionate
• Solutions finder

Some of what you will get

• Associate discount
• Health and Dental benefits
• RRSP / DPSP
• Performance bonuses
• Learning & Development programs
• And more...

Additional Information

Office environment

Employment Statement

Staples is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion and we encourage applications from all qualified candidates, including those with disabilities.

We will accommodate applicants' needs, upon request, throughout all stages of the recruitment process. Please inform us of the accommodation(s) that you may require.

Information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

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