Merchandise Planner

Company: Born Primitive
Location: Virginia Beach
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

Position Summary Born Primitive is seeking a Merchandise Planner to build and scale our merchandise planning function within a fast-growing direct-to-consumer apparel business. This is a new role and a critical hire, responsible for establishing planning foundations, bringing structure to assortment and inventory decisions, and supporting profitable growth across channels. For the first 5 months, the primary focus of this role will be the implementation and rollout of an Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning tool, ensuring alignment across Merchandising, Finance, and Operations. This individual will help define how Born Primitive plans, buys, and manages inventory moving forward. Key Responsibilities OTB Tool Implementation (First 5 Months – Primary Focus) Lead the implementation, setup, and rollout of Born Primitive’s OTB tool. Partner with Merchandising, Finance, and Operations to define planning logic, inputs, and outputs. Establish OTB frameworks by category, channel, and season. Translate business goals into clear, usable OTB plans that support growth and margin targets. Train internal stakeholders on OTB usage, reporting, and decision-making. Create documentation and best practices to ensure long-term adoption. Merchandise Planning & Forecasting Develop sales, inventory, and margin plans aligned with business objectives. Own pre-season category-level forecasting, including newness, carryover, and lifecycle management. Analyze historical sales, trends, and customer behavior to inform buys. Monitor performance vs plan and recommend in-season adjustments. Inventory & Assortment Strategy Partner with Merchandising to support assortment depth, breadth, and flow decisions. Identify risks and opportunities related to inventory levels, sell-through, and weeks of supply. Support allocation and replenishment strategies appropriate for a DTC apparel business. Balance new product introductions with core styles to optimize inventory productivity. Partner with merchant on liquidation strategy. Cross-Functional Collaboration Serve as a key planning partner to Merchandising, Finance, Supply Chain, and E-Commerce. Align financial targets with merchandise strategy. Provide clear, data-driven insights to leadership to support decision-making. Qualifications Required 3-4 years of experience in Merchandise Planning within apparel DTC Hands-on experience working with or implementing an OTB tool or planning system Strong understanding of apparel lifecycles, seasonality, and inventory management Advanced Excel skills; experience with planning systems Highly analytical with the ability to translate data into actionable insights Comfortable building processes in a new or evolving role Experience in performance, athletic, or lifestyle apparel Experience partnering closely with Finance on forecasting and budgeting Familiarity with PLM, ERP, or inventory management systems Strong communication and stakeholder management skills What Success Looks Like OTB tool is successfully implemented, adopted, and trusted across teams. Planning processes are clear, repeatable, and scalable. Inventory decisions are proactive, data-driven, and aligned to demand. Leadership has improved visibility into sales, inventory, and margin performance. Born Primitive is positioned for sustainable, profitable DTC growth.

Keywords: Born Primitive, Hampton , Merchandise Planner, Retail - All , Virginia Beach, Virginia