Vans: Director, Planning

Now that you’ve found the job description, what’s next?

Vans is the original brand rooted in the authentic lifestyle of skateboarding. We are driven by our mission to inspire and empower everyone to live “Off The Wall” – embracing the youthful spirit of freedom, non-conformity, and relentless progression. Yesterday’s “Off The Wall” moment is today’s new normal, and at Vans, we believe in constantly outdoing ourselves. Together with our communities across the globe, our vision is to push culture forward because we believe that the pursuit of progression never ends. We are constantly inspired by the future generation of positive catalysts within our community.  

So, before we get to the job details, take a minute to learn a little more about us – our values and our culture. If you can see yourself working side-by-side with a team of people who think and live “Off the Wall,” Vans just may be the place for you.

To learn more about our values and our culture, visit Vans Careers or www.vans.com.

What will you do?

A day in the life of a Director, Regional DTC Planning at Vans looks a little like this.

We are seeking a seasoned and strategic leader to help create and scale our end-to-end merchandise planning processes across the Americas Full Price, E-commerce and Outlet portfoilo. Focused on one of our Footwear, Apaprel or Accessories divisions, this high-impact role will be instrumental in driving sales, margin, and inventory optimization while aligning with the company’s strategic goals and providing financial framework to our product organization. Regional DTC Planning is will be the numerical driving force to reinvigorate and reestablish Vans as well as a thought-leader with cross-functional partners on how Planning will enables aspects of their function.

Reporting directly into the Head of Planning for the Americas, this leader keeps their divisional business on track to achieve financial objectives by aligning regional & global plans, and ensuring product availability meets demand. Key responsibilities include managing bottoms-up product level plans and top-down merchandise financial plan (MFP), maintaining forward-looking perspective on consumer demand, collaborating on capacity planning, and optimizing inventory.

Let’s break down that day-in-the-life a bit more.

•      OTB / MFP Management  – Create long-term financial ambition / targets (e.g., sales, margin, inventory, assortment breadth, etc) manging the teams, strategies, tactics and operations to bring the assortments to life.

•      Seasonal strategy & financial goals – Translating a GLobal LRP to regional top-down MFP (setting line target to drive revenue and margin) across multiple channels, classifications and financial inputs. Additionally, construe LRP/MFP to create product level plans (style, color, attribute, etc).

•      Line architecture - Support the merchandising and wholesale functions on building line architecture, option counts and financial goals to meet or pivot the ambitions of the LRP and regional MFP with strong historical analysis and insights to validate the plan.

•      Seasonal planning – Drive in-season executions of the seasonal plans, leading a team to deliver the right product in the right place at the right time – and having the commercial and business acumen to pivot the business and take action to course-correct sales and inventory.

•      Capacity planning - Collaborate with Supply Chain and Finance on resource allocation, raw material forecasting, margin, capacity planning.

•      Season hind-sighting - Seasonal roll-ups across regions, in partnership with global planning, to drive global visibility & drive adjustments for future seasons

•      Talent upskilling - Coach, develop, and build a best-in-class planning organization

•      Global Market Alignment - Adapt global strategies to meet unique needs of individual markets, balancing global consistency and local relevance. Monitor market trend, competitor activity, and customer behavior to inform planning decisions.

•      Data-Driven decision marketing - Utilize advanced analytics and market data to inform planning decisions and identify growth opportunities. Establish KPIs to monitor performance across sales, margin, and inventory levels. Continously refine forecasting models to improve accuracy and agility.

•      Leadership and Team Development - Lead and mentor a global team of merchandise planning professionals, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration. Build and scale processes to support growth across regions and product categories. Drive change management initiatives to implement new tools, technologies, and methodologies.

What do you need to succeed?

We all have unique skills that we bring to work and celebrate every day. For this role, there are foundation skills you’ll need to succeed and excel. Additionally, while formal education in a related field is great to have, we are most interested in your 8+ years of experience and professional achievements in Merchandise Planning, Buying, or Financial Planning, with at least 3 years in a leadership position working with Global teams.

The foundation skills you will need in this position are:

• High degree of emotional intelligence & communication skills (needed in order to foster a collaborative team environment, build strong relationships, and resolve diagreements with candor)

• Strategic vision (ability to articulate a clear, long-term strategy)

• Cross-functional leadership Communication and influence

• Strong Analytical skills with expertise in demand forecasting, inventory management, and financial modeling.

• Consumer insight and empathy (deep understanding of consumer needs, trends, and local cultural nuances)

• Proven success in driving revenue and profitability growth in a global, multi-channel retail environment

• Experience working with diverse markets with a strong understanding of regional differences in retail and consumer behavior.

There are also a few skills that are not required but preferred.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, or a related fields; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

• Experience with merchandise planning tools and technologies (eg: ERP, BI, or AI-driven analytics platforms)

• Strong background in digital commerce and omnichannel planning strategies.

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  What do we offer you?

  At Vans, we know you expect as much from us as we do from you. That is why we make a commitment to support and grow our people. We offer extensive development and growth opportunities for your current and future positions, a competitive compensation package, and a strong benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

  Our commitment extends beyond this and into your daily work life. We strive to foster a diverse and inclusive culture based on respect, connection, and authenticity. Our focus on DEI is at the foundation of who we are and what we do.

  To learn more about Vans’ benefits package, follow this MyVFBenefits.com and click “Looking to Join VF”.

  To learn more about Vans‘ Diversity and Inclusion efforts, go to www.vans.com.

  Now WE have a question for YOU.

  Are you in?

   

Hiring Range:

Incentive Potential: This position is eligible for additional compensation awards that may include an annual incentive plan, sales incentive, or commission potential. Specific details of the additional compensation eligibility for this position will be provided during the recruiting and interview process.

Benefits at VF Corporation: You can review a general overview of each benefit program offered, including this year's medical plan rates on www.MyVFbenefits.com  and by clicking Looking to Join VF? Detailed information on your benefits will be provided during the hiring process.

Please note, our hiring ranges are determined and built from market pay data. In determining the specific compensation for this position, we comply with all local, state, and federal laws.

At VF, we value a diverse, inclusive workforce and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at peopleservices@vfc.com. VF will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals to the extent required by applicable law.

Pursuant to all applicable local Fair Chance Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, VF will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.