Merchandise/Demand Planner

Job Title: Merchandise/Demand Planner

Contractor Fee: $1,700/month

Work Arrangement: Remote

Engagement Type: Independent Contractor

Commitment: Full-time (Approx. 40 hours/week)

Company Overview:

Tidal is a Direct Placement Agency that helps job seekers find job opportunities for real growth. We work with stable, responsible businesses experienced in remote hires and are excited to welcome international team members. Tidal is owned and operated by consumer brand owners and operators. We have offshore team-building experience and aim to help businesses leverage global talent.

About This Role:

The Merchandise Planner is responsible for helping to drive effective inventory management and merchandise planning across multiple product categories. This role combines data analysis, forecasting, and cross-functional collaboration to optimize inventory levels, support buying decisions, and maximize sales and profitability. Additionally, this role will support e-commerce reporting and site merchandising operations. The ideal candidate will be detail-oriented, analytical, and proactive in identifying opportunities to improve forecast accuracy and operational efficiency, ensuring the right products are available at the right time to meet business goals.

Key Responsibilities:

• Inventory Management (60%)

  • Analyze sales and inventory data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities at the department, category, and style level.

  • Monitor replenishment and in-season inventory levels; propose buys that support class-level financial targets. Collaborate with the operations team to optimize inventory flow.

  • Build and manage reporting tools and hindsight summaries to support forecast accuracy and strategic decisions in partnership with the Merchandising team.

  • Provide ad hoc, data-driven reporting that informs buying and merchandising strategies.

  • Drive process improvements to enhance planning efficiency and data accuracy.

  • Build visual sales recaps in Google Slides for internal presentations.

• E-commerce Reporting (20%)

  • Generate weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales reports with insights on financial, inventory, and product attribute performance.

  • Report regularly on website metrics, promo code usage, returns, reviews, and customer feedback.

  • QC monthly shipping invoices from fulfillment partners to ensure accuracy.

  • Track 3PL SLA performance and storage usage; deliver monthly reports with actionable recommendations.

• Site Merchandising (20%)

  • Support product and collection launches on Shopify, including managing product images, alt text, tags, metafields, SKU, and UPC codes

  • Set up and maintain product kits and personalization in e-commerce apps

  • Maintain and update the product image drive to accurately represent current products and development CADs

  • Build and maintain a product attribute database in Airtable

  • Perform regular QA on desktop/mobile versions of the website

Software/Platforms/Tools:

• Shopify (Expert)

• Microsoft Office (Expert)

• Google Suite (Gmail, Sheets, Slides, etc)

• Slack

• Inventory Planner

• Tableau

• Airtable

Qualifications:

• At least 3-5 years of experience in freelancing

• 4-5 years of Retail Merchandise Planning, inventory management, financial planning, or financial analysis experience

• Experience with Shopify, including at least a basic understanding of functionality and reporting capabilities

• Excellent English communication skills (both oral and written) and reliability in remote work setups

• Advanced Excel skill,s including complex formulas, pivot tables, and efficient management of large datasets for inventory and sales analysis

• Highly organized with keen attention to detail

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, data-heavy environment

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills

• Background with DTC or U.S. ecommerce brands preferred

Shift Schedule:

• Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM 5:00 PM US EST