What You’ll Do:
- Build and manage top-down and bottom-up seasonal financial plans for the DTC channel, aligning sales, gross margin, and inventory productivity targets with rigorous, data-driven planning frameworks for the e-commerce business.
- Partner with Merchandising and Finance to build category-level top-down financial plans and long-range DTC growth strategies.
- Lead DTC line architecture and assortment planning, ensuring product depth, breadth, and drop schedules align with digital marketing and revenue goals.
- Own the DTC Open-to-Buy (OTB) for multicategory business, providing monthly roll-ups, re-forecasts, and actionable recommendations to executive leadership.
- Analyze historical performance, digital traffic, conversion metrics, and current product trends to identify risk, uncover revenue opportunities, and optimize category mix.
- Lead monthly demand planning for DTC core and replenishment inventory, ensuring optimal stock depth and establishing agile fabric/inventory chase strategies.
- Drive in-season trading and profitability using strategic levers: model promotional performance, manage markdown cadences, and partner with E-Commerce and Digital Marketing teams on promotional calendars and messaging.
- Optimize full-lifecycle inventory within the DTC channel to minimize stockouts on key drivers while systematically reducing excess inventory.
- Partner with Merchandising, Digital Marketing, Finance, and Operations to align inventory flow with promotional campaigns, product launches, and peak traffic events.
- Serve as the DTC inventory expert, communicating financial forecasts, stock health, and performance insights directly to executive leadership.
- Continuously evaluate and refine DTC planning tools, processes, and systems to drive efficiency, forecast accuracy, and scalability.
- Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing DTC planning team as the business continues to scale.
Who You Are:
- 8–12 years of progressive experience in merchandise financial planning, demand forecasting, inventory management, and digital retail planning.
- Proven experience owning a DTC Open-to-Buy (OTB) report for an e-commerce business scaled at $50M+.
- Track record of building forecasts and planning models in a fast-paced retail or fashion environment.
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, or a related field preferred.
- Deep analytical capability with a proven ability to translate complex digital metrics and inventory data into actionable business strategies.
- Strong understanding of e-commerce business models, digital promotional levers, and fast-turn inventory flow strategies.
- Advanced proficiency with Excel, modern planning systems, ERPs, and e-commerce analytics platforms.
- Strategic thinker with a "roll-up-your-sleeves" execution mindset, comfortable in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced setting.
Founded in 2013 by Grace Na, Pistola is a Los Angeles-based brand built on luxury-level construction and a street-smart, utilitarian sensibility. As part of KNG (Pistola and Daze), we create premium, functional pieces designed to work as hard as the women who wear them. Our identity is rooted in a decade of evolution, consistently prioritizing quality and ease in every silhouette.
Position Overview:
The Director of Planning – eCommerce will play a critical role in driving sales, profitability, and inventory productivity for Pistola’s Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business. This leader will develop and execute DTC merchandise planning strategies, build financial and demand forecasts, and ensure operational excellence across digital channels. As the owner of the DTC Open-to-Buy (OTB), this role balances high-level strategic financial planning with hands-on execution to fuel the growth of an e-commerce business generating $50M+.