PetSmart’s Canada Home Office (CHO) is home to approximately 50+ associates who work in departments such as Merchandising, Marketing, Demand Planning, Pricing, Space Planning, Digital/e-Commerce, Human Resources, Legal, IT and more. The small but mighty team at the CHO supports the operations of 160+ PetSmart stores in Canada and works closely with counterparts at PetSmart’s global corporate headquarters located in Phoenix, Arizona. We also share the Canada Home Office with our colleagues at PetSmart Charities of Canada—an independent, registered charity. PetSmart Charities of Canada is committed  to making the world a better place for pets and all who love them by connecting pets with loving homes through adoption, improving access to veterinary care and supporting families in times of crisis with access to pet food, shelter, and emergency relief.

At PetSmart, teamwork and connection are core to how we thrive. This role is based at our Canada Home Office, with an expectation of working a minimum of four days in the office each week. In a standard work week, associates may work up to one remote “flex day” (with leader approval). Our hybrid approach is designed to foster strong collaboration while also supporting flexibility and individual success.

The Director, Merchandise Planning & Allocation is responsible for developing and leading the end-to-end MP&A strategy for PetSmart Canada. This role leads merchandise planning, pricing, demand planning, space planning, and inventory allocation to maximize sales, margin, inventory productivity, and customer experience. The Director, MP&A partners closely with Merchandise, Marketing, Retail Operations, and US counterparts to deliver enterprise and Canada specific objectives.

This role leads strategic, seasonal, and annual planning activities and provides data driven insights to optimize assortments, localization, pricing strategies, and product life cycle management. The position plays a critical leadership role in translating consumer, category, and competitive insights into actionable plans that drive profitable growth in Canada.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership and Planning

• Lead the strategic development and execution of merchandise planning, allocation, space optimization, localized assortments, and inventory optimization for Canada.
• Develop and execute seasonal, annual, and long range financial and strategic plans across vendor, customer, and merchandising segments.
• Partner with Merchandise Buying leadership to align category strategies, investment priorities, and execution plans with corporate objectives.
• Translate consumer, category, and competitive insights into portfolio plans that optimize revenue, margin, pricing, and inventory productivity.

Merchandise Planning, Pricing, Allocation and Optimization

• Direct the development of the Canada merchandise plan and all associated KPIs including sales, margin, inventory turnover, service levels, and in stock performance.
• Lead and measure performance against business planning and product creation calendars to drive timely, informed decision making.
• Own end to end inventory management including in line, promotional, and seasonal products, ensuring optimal service levels while minimizing excess and ad residue.
• Establish and manage inventory productivity targets, demand plans, and vendor inventory metrics in partnership with Supply Chain, US counterparts and vendors.

• Merchandise Planning partnering with Pricing to support execution of pricing strategies across the product life cycle, including promotional pricing, markdown optimization, elasticity management, and zone pricing.
• Oversee allocation and replenishment strategies that support sales, margin, and customer experience while optimizing space utilization and assortment localization.
• Drive continuous improvement through analytics, testing, and process optimization across planning, allocation, store requirements and space disciplines.

Cross Functional Collaboration and Execution

• Collaborate with Marketing to execute division and category marketing and promotional plans including ads, planner locations, offers, and layouts.
• Partner with Retail Operations to identify and execute sales driving opportunities and improve in-store execution.
• Support senior leadership in presenting insights and plans in key meetings including direction setting, line reviews, vendor meetings, and QBRs.
• Lead and deliver special projects that drive growth, efficiency, and capability advancement.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, develop, and retain a high performing MP&A team through coaching, talent development, and succession planning.
• Build organizational capability by integrating tools, systems, and processes that improve accuracy, efficiency, and decision quality.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This role has direct people leadership responsibility and oversees multiple leaders and teams across merchandise planning, space planning, demand planning, and related functions.

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, or a related field required.

 Experience

• Ten or more years of progressive experience in merchandise planning, allocation, demand planning, pricing, or inventory management within a retail environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams.
• Experience partnering cross functionally with Buying, Finance, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Retail Operations.

Skills and Capabilities

• Proven strategic thinking and financial acumen with the ability to translate analytics into action.
• Proven ability to lead teams through change and build organizational capability.
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and influencing skills.
• Proven problem-solving skills and ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Advanced proficiency in planning systems and analytical tools; experience with SAP, Blue Yonder, or similar platforms preferred.

Additional Information

• Travel requirement is approximately 10 to 25 percent, including local and international (US) travel.
• Typical office environment with standard physical demands.

• This role requires collaboration, teamwork, and face-to-face interaction with colleagues, leaders, and/or clients.
• Being in the office ensures access to leaders, cross-functional partners, and resources necessary to make timely decisions and drive results.
• On-site presence in accordance with our FlexSmart policy supports our culture of innovation, mentorship, and engagement, which is integral to our success in developing the best team.

* This is not intended to be an all-inclusive, exhaustive list of all essential job functions for this position. PetSmart retains the right to change or assign other required job duties to this position.

At PetSmart, we work hard to create a culture where every associate feels like they truly belong and we celebrate the unique stories, backgrounds, and experiences our associates share.  These experiences not only bring new perspectives in shaping our Belonging culture but they’re core to PetSmart’s success.

Not sure if you meet 100% of the position requirements and whether you should apply? We’d still like to hear from you and encourage you to apply with us! You just may be the ideal candidate for this role, and if not this one, perhaps another position.

Our Canada Home Office offers outstanding amenities in a fun and rewarding workplace including:

• Bring your pup to work! We have lots of dogs that come each day as well as fish and aquatic pets that live at our office
• On-site Dog Park
• Café serving fresh lunch options
• In-building day care facility option
• Volunteer events with PetSmart Charities
• We have an active social committee that hosts fun-filled events including contests, bake-offs, off-site events, and volunteer efforts, and they are always trying to out-do the previous event! See what life is like at the Canada Home Office here: https://careers.petsmart.com/canada
• Learn more about #LifeAtPetSmart here: https://www.lifeatpetsmart.com/life-at-petsmart/
• Check out Associate stories and share in some celebrations at PetSmart: https://www.blog.lifeatpetsmart.com/
• Explore PetSmart Benefits here: https://benefits.petsmart.com/

This posting reflects an existing vacancy, and we are actively seeking candidates for this role. PetSmart provides an equal opportunity for all associates and job applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics.