Do your Best Work in Mooresville

This position is based at our headquarters in Mooresville, North Carolina. Our corporate office is a space where you can collaborate and do your best work. Take a walk, grab a bite (or a cup of coffee), work out or get a check-up – we invest in you so you can find your inspiration.

Your Impact

The Merchandise Assortment Planning Portfolio Manager serves as Merchandise Category Management and Product Line Review (PLR)/Business Review (BR) subject matter expert accountable for$10B+ in sales. Manager will be responsible for PLR/BR workload management and successful Planner guidance & leadership through optimal best-in-class Assortment Planning practices.

Focuses on effective implementation of the role of Category through product assortments, item selection including brand & vendor performance to drive optimal assortment decisions and localization opportunities. Provides insights and guidance for overall category advisement for the core merchandising team.

The Manager will be responsible for ensuring the assortment of lifecycle development and necessary activities are achieving optimal productivity improvements through product line reviews (PLRs) and business reviews (BR).

The Manager is responsible for actively participating in day-to-day PLR & BR activities when necessary, providing guidance and coaching for planners within the area of responsibility through the end-to-end product group life cycle planning process from the initial assortment kickoff through final sign-off, including final stocking execution. Actively driving to deliver value-added application of core strategies (e.g role/intent of the category), partnering and synthesizing cross-functional team assortment recommendations (e.g., Finance, Supply Chain, Pricing, etc) and Assortment localization opportunities.

The Merchandise Assortment Portfolio Manager will be responsible for ensuring the team is delivering on the expectations of our merchants, customers, and shareholders by owning and delivering on the following deliverables: Product Line Review and Business Review process ownership; Category Management insights, white space opportunities, and analytical insights Analyzing and recommending localized assortment opportunities within the Assortment Optimization solution.

The Manager will assume accountability for direct ownership of their area of responsibility through the entire PLR process deliverables & success metrics. Will also help foster & own cross-functional alignment to core strategies, productivity improvement opportunities, category management insights through effective merchandise assortment decisions.

What You Will Do

• PLR/BR process owner for identified area, delivers all aspects of the end-to-end planning process including Pre-coordination session, assortment kickoff meeting, cluster strategy review, supplier planning sessions, calibration sessions w/cross-functional teams (e.g. Finance, Inventory, Pricing, Field Merchandising) and leadership review meetings including final assortment publication
• Responsible for insights, ensuring optimal Assortment Planning & Category Management best practices delivering on all commitments and ownership of the PLR & BR line reviews.
• Responsible for Assortment Planner day-to-day management to ensure team is optimizing assortments, identifying gaps, including finalization of product detail cost/retail/case pack/supplier, etc.
• Continue providing recommendations & upgrade opportunities for Assortment Optimization tools ensuring they are effectively supporting the PLR/BR process
• Ensure enterprise portfolio objectives are being achieved in Role of the Category, Localization, Pro Growth, Private Brands and Assortment/Space Productivity
• Acts as Category Management expert, coach & consultant to the business, helping define customer path to purchase decisions, leading Merchants through the evaluation and determination of store clustering and assortment selection (e.g. shop, drop, keep)
• Owns teaching and delivering configuration of the store stocking matrix with approved cluster strategy and product performance information. Ensures team is performing necessary updates and overrides of item recommendations as needed, ensuring accuracy and seamless transitions to support team members.
• Train, mentor, and when necessary, integrate Assortment Planning tool results with product knowledge, merchandising programs, and customer needs to provide practical recommendations and deep analytical insight to others.
• Collaborate regularly with cross-functional team members & Merchants to interpret AO recommendations for current items and to develop assortment plans for new items.
• Actively share relevant information with various business areas of Lowe’s (e.g., Visual Space Planning, GFO, Pro, Field Merchandising and Logistics) to ensure Merchandising’s vision and strategies are effectively implemented.
• Lead category management conversations with Merchandising, advising them on appropriate consumer decision trees and attributes for store clustering and assortment planning
• Lead others in linking Assortment Planning tool results to the overall end-to-end PLR/BR business process
• Provide necessary guidance when necessary to team cross-functional members and Merchant teams for execution of the Product Line Review.
• Assist with presentations, as needed, to all levels of corporate management.
• Provide status reporting on all PLR activities & accomplishments

Minimum Qualifications

• 5 years’ comparable experience
• 5 years of experience with assortment and/or merchandising planning (e.g., categories, products, processes, etc.)
• 3 years of experience executing on project plans in a cross-functional environment
• Experience working for a large retail organization, preferably in Merchandising Buying, Merchandise Planning, or Assortment Planning

Preferred Skills/Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Retail Management, Finance, or related field
• 5 years of experience in Merchandise Buying, Merchandise Financial Planning and/or Assortment Planning related work experience
• 5 years of experience working in a retail environment
• 3 years of experience with retail assortment store clustering
• 3 years of experience with Assortment Planning Software (e.g., SAS, JDA, Oracle, etc)

Where You’ll Be

• Associates are required to relocate to the Charlotte/Mooresville, NC region to foster collaboration and support.
• The ideal candidate must be willing to work in the office at our Mooresville, NC, location, 5 days per week.
• Most business meetings are planned around the Eastern Time Zone.

About Lowe’s

Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE® 100 home improvement company with total fiscal 2025 sales of more than $86 billion. Lowe’s employs approximately 300,000 associates and operates over 1,750 home improvement stores, 540 branches and 120 distribution centers. Based in Mooresville, N.C., Lowe’s supports the communities it serves through programs focused on creating safe, affordable housing, improving community spaces, helping to develop the next generation of skilled trade experts and providing disaster relief to communities in need. For more information, visit Lowes.com.  

Lowe’s is an equal opportunity employer and administers all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, gender, age, ancestry, national origin, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other category protected under federal, state, or local law.