The posting
Job Description
Sr Merchandise Financial Planner (Corporate)
This position is Hybrid working from our Legacy West Support Center located in Plano, Texas.
About Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.
At SBH, our purpose is to inspire a more colorful, confident, and welcoming world. We are the leader in professional hair color, selling and distributing professional beauty supplies across 11 countries through our Sally Beauty and Beauty Systems Group businesses. Sally Beauty offers products for hair color, hair care, nails, and skin care to retail customers looking for salon quality products at a value price. Beauty Systems Group, branded as Cosmo Prof or Armstrong McCall stores, along with its direct sales consultants, sell professionally branded products intended for use and resale by salons to retail consumers.
About the Role
The Sr Merchandise Financial Planner serves as a strategic business partner responsible for leading financial planning, forecasting, and inventory management activities across some of the highest volume and most complex merchandise categories within the business. This role provides leadership in developing sales, margin, inventory, and profit forecasts while ensuring alignment with overall company financial objectives.
Acting as a key liaison between Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, and Finance leadership, the Sr Merchandise Financial Planner delivers actionable business insights, supports financial accountability, and helps drive data-informed decisions that optimize category performance and profitability. In addition to managing their own area of responsibility, this role provides guidance, coaching, and development opportunities for junior members of the Merchandise Finance team.
Responsibilities
- Lead forecasting and planning activities for sales, inventory, margin, and profit across assigned merchandise categories and broader business segments.
- Develop financial plans that align with company objectives and support achievement of sales, margin, and inventory productivity goals.
- Consolidate and reconcile category-level forecasts and plans to ensure aggregate results support overall business targets.
- Partner closely with Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, and Finance leaders to identify risks, opportunities, and financial implications of business decisions.
- Provide weekly and monthly financial updates regarding merchant actions, assortment changes, pricing strategies, and other factors impacting revenue, margin, and cash flow.
- Analyze business performance, identify trends, and provide recommendations to improve financial results and inventory productivity.
- Develop scenario models and financial forecasts to support strategic planning initiatives and decision-making.
- Communicate financial performance, business risks, and forecast changes to cross-functional stakeholders and senior leadership.
- Support process improvements that enhance forecasting accuracy, operational efficiency, and financial accountability.
- Coach, mentor, and develop junior Merchandise Finance team members through training, guidance, and ongoing support.
- Foster collaboration across Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, Finance, and other business functions to drive alignment and business results.
- Support special projects and additional responsibilities as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business, Merchandising, or related field.
- 7+ years of experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, merchandise finance, financial planning, or related disciplines.
- Experience managing budgets, forecasts, and financial performance metrics including sales, margin, profit, and inventory.
- Retail, consumer goods, or related industry experience preferred.
- Previous experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing business decisions across multiple stakeholder groups.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including financial modeling, scenario analysis, forecasting, and large dataset management.
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills with exceptional attention to detail.
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and manage competing deadlines in a dynamic environment.
- Experience preparing and presenting complex financial analyses, forecasts, and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Strong understanding of merchandising principles, inventory management strategies, retail trends, and financial planning processes.
- Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Competencies & Attributes
- Strategic Thinker – Uses financial insights, business knowledge, and forecasting expertise to guide decisions and identify opportunities for growth and profitability.
- Business Partner – Builds trusted relationships across Merchandising, Planning & Allocation, and Finance teams to drive alignment and accountability.
- Analytical Problem Solver – Evaluates complex business situations, interprets data, and develops practical recommendations.
- Financial Steward – Maintains a strong focus on financial performance, risk management, and achievement of business goals.
- Effective Communicator – Clearly communicates financial concepts, recommendations, and business impacts to diverse audiences.
- Team Builder – Supports the development of others through coaching, mentoring, knowledge sharing, and delegation.
- Results Driver – Takes ownership of objectives, manages priorities effectively, and delivers high-quality outcomes.
- Collaborative Leader – Works effectively across functions to influence decisions and achieve shared business objectives.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset – Identifies opportunities to improve processes, forecasts, reporting, and decision-making capabilities.
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements
This will be a hybrid role required to be onsite at the corporate office on specified days. The work environment generally involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, retail stores, and residences or commercial vehicles, including the use of standard office equipment and adherence to workplace safety practices. The work area is adequately lit, heated, and ventilated.
The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform the work. However, there may be occasional walking, standing, bending, driving, and lifting or carrying light office materials as needed.
Benefits
We offer a competitive salary and outstanding benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid vacation and sick days, paid holidays, tuition reimbursement and 401(k) with company match. In addition, associates of SBH may take advantage of our in-house salon with complimentary services and a varied selection of food options at our corporate campus. Also featured at our corporate campus is both a Sally Beauty and CosmoProf Professional onsite store, where associates enjoy a great merchandise discount!
