Lingua Franca
The Manager of Merchandise Planning at Lingua Franca will own product strategy, inventory planning, and sales forecasting across all channels. This hybrid role blends creative intuition with operational rigor, translating the brand’s design and merchandising vision into structured, data‑driven plans that ensure the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time.
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and collaborating closely with the CEO/Founder, Marketing, Production, and Design teams, the Manager will build the systems, processes, and reporting foundation that supports exponential growth while preserving the company's handmade, thoughtful DNA.
Key Responsibilities
Translate creative direction and market insight into an executable assortment plan with clearly defined product stories and seasons.
Partner with the Founder and Design team to develop seasonal and core assortments, balancing creative newness with commercial productivity.
Define product architecture – categories, price points, and SKU depth – ensuring alignment with brand vision and financial targets.
Maintain the merchandise calendar, coordinating product launches with marketing, trunk shows, and production capacity.
Monitor performance by category, color, and channel; identify best‑sellers, chase opportunities, and phase out slow movers.
Determine optimal product assortment and allocation by channel (wholesale, website, retail), ensuring each channel receives the right mix of SKUs to maximize sales and margin.
Planning & Forecasting
Build and maintain sales, inventory, and margin plans by month, category, and channel (DTC, wholesale, trunk shows).
Set and monitor KPI framework (GMROI, sell‑through, average unit retail, margin, intake timing, category contribution).
Own the Open‑to‑Buy (OTB) process, aligning inventory investments with cash flow and sales forecasts; lead markdown strategy and end‑of‑season liquidation to protect brand equity.
Collaborate with Production and Warehouse teams to translate plans into buy quantities and delivery schedules.
Identify underperforming categories or styles early and implement corrective actions (rebalance assortments, reallocate stock, or discontinue items with minimal brand impact).
Conduct post‑season recaps and develop recommendations for future buys and product mix optimization.
Reporting & Analytics
Serve as the internal business lead for the implementation of Lingua Franca’s ERP and inventory planning system; post‑launch, act as the system administrator and power user.
Build and maintain dashboards and reports that provide actionable insights to executive leadership.
Present seasonal merchandising strategies and performance highlights to senior management and cross‑functional partners.
Cross‑Functional Leadership
Partner with E‑commerce and Marketing to align assortment launches with campaigns and site merchandising.
Work closely with Finance to forecast revenue, track margin, and manage working capital.
Communicate clearly with Production and Warehouse to ensure alignment between demand and capacity.
Requirements & Qualifications
5+ years of experience in merchandising, planning, or inventory management (fashion or lifestyle brand preferred).
Strong analytical, financial modeling, forecasting, assortment optimization, and inventory management skills; highly proficient in Excel / Google Sheets.
Strong understanding of inventory flows, costing, and SKU‑level data structures.
Proven track record of achieving margin targets, sell‑through, and inventory turns in a premium or luxury context.
Exceptional organization and attention to detail; thrives in a cross‑functional, founder‑led environment.
Excellent communicator – able to translate complex data into clear insights for creative and operational teams.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage projects, and navigate a fast‑paced, high‑expectation environment.
Experience implementing or managing an ERP, inventory management, or planning system (Brightpearl, Netsuite, ApparelMagic, etc.) is a plus.
What Success Looks Like
Leadership has real‑time visibility into sales, margin, and inventory performance.
Lingua Franca’s Open‑to‑Buy process is accurate, actionable, and tied to cash flow.
Inventory health improves – higher sell‑through, cleaner buys, and fewer stock‑outs.
The business runs on data‑informed decisions while preserving its creative soul.
What We Offer
19 Days of PTO
Membership to Calm and access to other wellness benefits
401k
Summer Fridays!
Dog‑friendly office!
Monthly happy hours
Compensation:
$85,000‑$100,000, commensurate with experience.
Lingua Franca is an NYC‑based luxury clothing and accessory brand known for its hand‑embroidered cashmere goods and ethically sourced ready‑to‑wear collection.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and collaborating closely with the CEO/Founder, Marketing, Production, and Design teams, the Manager will build the systems, processes, and reporting foundation that supports exponential growth while preserving the company's handmade, thoughtful DNA.
Key Responsibilities
Translate creative direction and market insight into an executable assortment plan with clearly defined product stories and seasons.
Partner with the Founder and Design team to develop seasonal and core assortments, balancing creative newness with commercial productivity.
Define product architecture – categories, price points, and SKU depth – ensuring alignment with brand vision and financial targets.
Maintain the merchandise calendar, coordinating product launches with marketing, trunk shows, and production capacity.
Monitor performance by category, color, and channel; identify best‑sellers, chase opportunities, and phase out slow movers.
Determine optimal product assortment and allocation by channel (wholesale, website, retail), ensuring each channel receives the right mix of SKUs to maximize sales and margin.
Planning & Forecasting
Build and maintain sales, inventory, and margin plans by month, category, and channel (DTC, wholesale, trunk shows).
Set and monitor KPI framework (GMROI, sell‑through, average unit retail, margin, intake timing, category contribution).
Own the Open‑to‑Buy (OTB) process, aligning inventory investments with cash flow and sales forecasts; lead markdown strategy and end‑of‑season liquidation to protect brand equity.
Collaborate with Production and Warehouse teams to translate plans into buy quantities and delivery schedules.
Identify underperforming categories or styles early and implement corrective actions (rebalance assortments, reallocate stock, or discontinue items with minimal brand impact).
Conduct post‑season recaps and develop recommendations for future buys and product mix optimization.
Reporting & Analytics
Serve as the internal business lead for the implementation of Lingua Franca’s ERP and inventory planning system; post‑launch, act as the system administrator and power user.
Build and maintain dashboards and reports that provide actionable insights to executive leadership.
Present seasonal merchandising strategies and performance highlights to senior management and cross‑functional partners.
Cross‑Functional Leadership
Partner with E‑commerce and Marketing to align assortment launches with campaigns and site merchandising.
Work closely with Finance to forecast revenue, track margin, and manage working capital.
Communicate clearly with Production and Warehouse to ensure alignment between demand and capacity.
Requirements & Qualifications
5+ years of experience in merchandising, planning, or inventory management (fashion or lifestyle brand preferred).
Strong analytical, financial modeling, forecasting, assortment optimization, and inventory management skills; highly proficient in Excel / Google Sheets.
Strong understanding of inventory flows, costing, and SKU‑level data structures.
Proven track record of achieving margin targets, sell‑through, and inventory turns in a premium or luxury context.
Exceptional organization and attention to detail; thrives in a cross‑functional, founder‑led environment.
Excellent communicator – able to translate complex data into clear insights for creative and operational teams.
Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage projects, and navigate a fast‑paced, high‑expectation environment.
Experience implementing or managing an ERP, inventory management, or planning system (Brightpearl, Netsuite, ApparelMagic, etc.) is a plus.
What Success Looks Like
Leadership has real‑time visibility into sales, margin, and inventory performance.
Lingua Franca’s Open‑to‑Buy process is accurate, actionable, and tied to cash flow.
Inventory health improves – higher sell‑through, cleaner buys, and fewer stock‑outs.
The business runs on data‑informed decisions while preserving its creative soul.
What We Offer
19 Days of PTO
Membership to Calm and access to other wellness benefits
401k
Summer Fridays!
Dog‑friendly office!
Monthly happy hours
Compensation:
$85,000‑$100,000, commensurate with experience.
Lingua Franca is an NYC‑based luxury clothing and accessory brand known for its hand‑embroidered cashmere goods and ethically sourced ready‑to‑wear collection.
#J-18808-Ljbffr