Sales Planning Manager - Merrell

Title: Sales Planning Manager - Merrell

Location: Rockford United States

Job ID 2026-10554

Job Description:

Merrell exists to share the simple power of being outside with everyone. We believe the "outdoors" is a much broader space than just the mountain summit; it’s any space beyond your front door. Our mission is to help our community rethink the outdoors by building gear that works everywhere, from technical alpine ridges to urban city streets. We don't just follow the trail; we help define where it goes next.

We are a team that lives at the intersection of elite performance and modern style. Our history on the trail and commitment to innovation has made us the most awarded brand in the outdoor space. Recently, our MTL SpeedARC Peak won the prestigious ISPO Award for its breakthrough trail-racing tech, while the SpeedARC Surge BOA was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions for its modern, futuristic design and energy return. Whether it’s the Moab 3 being named “Best Hiking Shoe” by CNN Underscored and Popular Mechanics, or the Jungle Moc being recognized by HuffPicks as the gold standard for comfort, we are consistently recognized for building the most reliable, and most innovative, gear in the world.

The Sales Planning Manager  is responsible for developing accurate, account-level sales forecasts that support revenue growth and inventory alignment for a defined portfolio of wholesale accounts. This role blends strategic and tactical planning, leveraging historical sales data, market trends, and customer insights to inform forecasts.

Partnering closely with Sales, Finance, Merchandising, Demand Planning, and Supply Chain, the Sales Planning Manager ensures that sales plans are efficiently executed, accurate, and aligned with the brand’s strategic direction and financial goals. The role also delivers timely analysis, supports account planning, and contributes to continuous improvement of planning tools and processes.
 

Primary Duties:

• Manage the monthly sales forecasting process for assigned wholesale accounts, including the collection, validation, and consolidation of forecasts in collaboration with Sales and Finance partners.

• Support the annual account planning process by preparing templates, conducting analysis, and contributing to the development of account-level sales plans.

• Produce trend analysis for key accounts, sales territories, etc., on future seasons to enable accurate financial forecasting and to support inventory planning.

• Translate account-level insights, historical performance, and market trends into accurate sales forecasts that support inventory planning and financial targets.

• Monitor sell-in, sell-through, bookings, backlog, and shipments to identify risks and opportunities. Recommend in-season adjustments to forecasts and tactics to optimize performance.

• Partner with cross-functional teams—including Sales, Finance, Merchandising, Demand Planning, and Supply Chain—to ensure alignment between sales forecasts, inventory strategies, and financial goals.

• Own the setup, maintenance, and governance of sales forecast templates to ensure consistency, accuracy, and usability across accounts and planning cycles.

• Analyze sales forecasts to Mid-Range Plan (MFP), Long-Range Plan (LRP), and Corporate Finance targets to ensure alignment on volume, margin, and style adoption goals. Identify and communicate variances and recommend adjustments as needed.

• Deliver timely and accurate reporting and analysis to support Integrated Business Planning (IBP), brand milestone meetings, and other key forums.

• Assist in the continuous improvement of forecasting tools, templates, and processes to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and scalability.

• Provide planning support for new product launches, seasonal transitions, and key account initiatives.

• Perform all duties in alignment with company AAP/EEO policies and carry out additional responsibilities as assigned.

• Performs other duties as required/assigned by manager.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field

• Diverse functional knowledge required for the role is typically developed by having 6-8+ years of experience in Sales Operations and/or Sales Planning. 

• Intellectual curiosity and a desire to use data to identify and illustrate product sales and market trends

• Strong analytics background with financial modeling skills 

• Proficiency in Advance MS Excel skills 

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally.

• Ability to understand LRP and Corp Finance Targets and ensure projected volume / MFP outputs are in alignment  

• Has a broad understanding of Merch, Planning and Supply Chain functions; processes and ERP system

• Ability to negotiate and gain cooperation between functions

• Ability to continuously solve problems with independent decision making. 

• Ability to provide managerial supervision to team members.

Working Conditions:

Normal office environment.  Travel may be required.

Wolverine Worldwide has a flexible, hybrid work schedule, with three days in office and two days remote.

#LI-ND

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (NYSE:WWW) is one of the world’s leading designers, marketers, and licensors of footwear and apparel; It’s global footprint spans 170 countries and territories. The Company’s portfolio includes Merrell®, Saucony®, Sweaty Betty®, Hush Puppies®, Wolverine®, Chaco®, Bates®, HYTEST®, and Stride Rite®. The Company is also the global footwear licensee of brands Cat® and Harley-Davidson®.

In 2025, the Company was recognized by Footwear News as Company of the Year, by Forbes as one of America’s Dream Employers, America’s Best Employers for Women, and America’s Best Employers for Company Culture, and by Inspiring Workplaces as one of the Most Inspiring Workplaces Globally.

Wolverine Worldwide is a Certified™ Great Place To Work®.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills which may be required.

Wolverine Worldwide, Inc. is committed to creating a company that is as diverse as our consumers. We value the differences in one another and believe our differences make us stronger. Our diverse and inclusive corporate culture starts with the recruitment process. We are committed to being an equal opportunity employer. We aim to create equal opportunities for our associates, customers, and suppliers regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic.