Demand Planning Manager presso Gear Up Sports

Description

Company info: gearUP’s mission is to outfit youth sports teams with customized gear – on time for game time! We have simplified the hassle of outfitting youth sports teams with customized gear from the best brands. Our webstores are always open and product ships direct to athletes on time. gearUP has been one of the fastest growing companies in the Pacific Northwest since 2018, and we have so much opportunity ahead of us. Now is a great time to join our team!

Job Description Summary:

The Demand Planning Manager oversees and leads the demand planning team ensuring that the company can meet customer demand while minimizing costs, optimizing inventory levels and maximizing profits. This leader will build a demand planning organization to support the multi-brand, multi-product category and multi-channel demand planning requirements. The Demand Planning Manager builds and maintains relationships with key stakeholders to ensure effective communication and collaboration across teams throughout the demand management process. This Manager will partner with leadership in Merchandising, Sales, and Finance to build short-term and long-term business growth strategies and be accountable to build the demand plan to support the business growth plans. Demand Planning sits within the Merchandising Department to ensure alignment of seasonal Go-To-Market workstreams and execution toward sales & merchandising strategies. They partner closely with Merchandising on assortment planning, new product introductions, and product lifecycle exit strategies. This leader will develop effective forecasting models based on industry trends and customer demand patterns to improve demand forecast accuracy.

Requirements

Responsibilities and Duties

•Develop market & consumer relevant seasonal brand aligned product assortments leveraging history, market knowledge, consumer trend assessment and financial risk and reward.

•Educate sales force on seasonal product innovation & technologies, brand & product initiatives, product assortments and pricing strategy.

•Partner with Sales Leadership for the coordination, presentation and sample needs of seasonal sales meetings.

•Demonstrate effective cross-functional communication (verbal and written), collaboration and coordination throughout each seasonal GTM and Sales process.

•Create tools for hindsighting, foresighting, and collecting marketplace & consumer knowledge to use to determine product mix adjustments.

•Partner with Marketing on the creation of the seasonal product catalog to include page layout, content, proofing and publication to the broader organization.

•Partner with Sales & Marketing to plan and represent gearUP at various events including trade shows, coaches’ conferences, tournaments, etc..

•Interface with leagues, clubs, school organizations as needed.

•Develop quarterly product & business review documentation to discuss with Brand partners.

•Build a calendar in partnership with cross-functional partners to create and adhere to the GTM calendar and execute all merchandising responsibilities.

•Effectively present ideas and concepts to a diverse audience through storytelling and business justification.

• Other tasks and projects, as assigned.

Qualifications and Skills:

Skills & Qualities:

•Proficient ability to remain highly effective under stress and respond to pressure in a manner acceptable to others and to the organization

•Strong presentation skills and ability to adapt style for diverse audiences

•Intermediate business management skills with demonstrated financial acumen

•Strong understanding of the consumer, market and competitive marketplace

•Thorough PC and/or Apple MAC knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office Software Suite with advanced Excel skills

•Proficient working with ERP systems, experience with Microsoft Dynamics a plus

Ability to:

o Remain highly organized and meet strict timelines while simultaneously managing expectations of internal teams, seasonal GTM calendars and project work

o Accept responsibility for unmet goals and accountability for errors

o Identify and evaluate problem areas and contribute effective solutions

o Demonstrate professionalism, team-work and emotional intelligence at all times

o Encourage teamwork and build business relationships based on trust and open communication

o Lead by example through clear and thoughtful research and inspire strategy-focused results

•Must be a leader, communicator, listener, analytical thinker, presenter with merchandising skill set and business management experience.

Experience & Education:

•Bachelor’s degree in business, merchandising or related discipline

•Minimum of 3-5 years apparel/accessories product or merchandising experience preferably in the team sports industry.

•Experience with go-to-market strategies for direct-to-athlete and/or bulk business-to-business sales.

Job Scope:

The job involves a high degree of complexity managing multiple competing priorities across multiple seasons and product categories. Duties are performed with general direction from the Director of Sales & Merchandising. Decisions are made within general company policy constraints. Errors in judgments can adversely affect company image, may lead to customer non-acceptance, inefficiency and delays in the production process and cause loss of revenue and/or profits. Responsibilities also include accountability for the performance of developed product strategies and assortments.

Specific Job Skills:

•Possess thorough understanding of business opportunities in the market and strong business management and analytics skills.

•Ability to consider upstream and downstream effects as outcomes of your decision making.

•Working knowledge of the roles of other functions including Sales, Marketing, Demand Planning, Operations, Finance, Supply Chain and Product Embellishment processes and capabilities.

•Excellent organizational skills

•Strong written and verbal communications skills and excellent presentation skills with the ability to adapt to various audiences.

•Capability to troubleshoot and solve problems of moderate complexity or difficulty.

•Ability to lead and influence others.

•Demonstrated ability to work effectively with internal and external contacts.

•Professionalism and respect for others is required always.

Job Conditions:

The role requires hours that may exceed 8 per day and/or 40 per week. Evening meetings and weekend work are occasionally required to ensure timely project completion. Domestic travel may be required on occasion.

Physical Requirements:

•Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

•Viewing computer monitors for extended periods.

•Talking, listening, and typing for extended periods

•Ability to travel

Benefits

Gear Up Sports provides the following employee benefits:

• Paid Time Off (PTO) – 2 weeks (80 hours) per year banked at the beginning of the calendar year, pro-rated to the start date.

• Paid Holidays – New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas

Rev 01/2026 4

• Healthcare Benefits – Effective the first of the month following the date of hire:

• Health/Vision insurance through Regence BlueCross BlueShield

• Dental insurance through LifeMap Dental

• Life, Disability & Accident Insurance through MetLife – effective 1st of the month following date of hire:

• Group Term Life insurance – company paid

• Long Term Disability insurance – company paid

• Short Term Disability insurance – company paid – provided for employees working in states without state-specific paid family/medical leave programs.

• Voluntary additional life insurance

• Voluntary Accident Insurance

• Flexible Spending Account Plan – allowing pre-tax savings for Health and Dependent Care Expenses

• Health Savings Account - allowing pre-tax savings for Health expenses

• Employee Assistance Plan (EAP) – plan provided through Canopy

• 401(k) Plan – participation