About us:

Target is one of the world’s most recognized brands and one of America’s leading retailers.

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.

Target is an iconic brand, a Fortune 50 company and at Target, we have a vision: to become the best culture and brand, the best place for growth and the company with the best reputation. We offer an inclusive, collaborative and energetic work environment that rewards those who perform. We deliver engaging, innovative and on-trend experiences for our team members and our guests. We invest in our team members' futures by developing leaders and providing a breadth of opportunities for professional development. It takes the best to become the best, and we are committed to building a team that does the right thing for our guests, shareholders, team members and communities.

Target Merchandising is evolving at an incredible pace. We are constantly reimagining how this $100+ billion retailer offers the innovative, guest-inspiring brands and items that Target is known and loved for.

Target Plus is a strategic business initiative offering meaningful guest experiences by bringing high demand brands and on-trend selection to Target.com. We are a one-of-a-kind marketplace, carefully curated and built keeping in mind guests' current and changing needs, along with tapping into futuristic market trends. With this we are constantly improving and innovating our digital shopping experience.

 The Senior Manager, category planning, T+  will lead a team of category planners who are  responsible for creating effective financial and category growth plans by developing accurate forecasts and actionable strategies in partnership with category management . Collectively this function will oversee financial planning, forecasting, and analysis for all categories, acting as the liaison between category management and FP&A to enable category growth and profitability.

This role will require collaboration across teams in India and the US, ensuring alignment with broader organizational objectives to deliver long range plans for T+ to Create effective financial plans by developing accurate category forecasts and actionable strategies to drive profitable growth.​

Your responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:

Team:

Lead and manage a team of 3-5 category planners by overseeing staffing, onboarding, performance management, resource planning, and talent development, while clearly defining roles, responsibilities, goals, and career growth opportunities.

Category planning

• Analyze past financial performance to develop and influence the annual financial plan, incorporating key building blocks and frameworks.
• Formulate annual plans aligned with Long Range Plan (LRP) and Multi-Year Strategic Plan (MYSP) growth goals, while setting necessary financial guardrails at the category level.
• Interpret financial data, conduct scenario (“what if?”) analyses, and provide actionable recommendations including risk mitigation strategies.
• Lead detailed financial planning and forecasting processes to optimize category profitability, including promotion demand forecasting and collaboration with partner teams.
• Monitor and track weekly and monthly performance against annual plans, manage growth drivers, risks, and contingency plans.
• Collaborate extensively with global and cross-functional teams to align growth plans, assess business impact, support assortment planning and channel optimization, and present insights to senior leadership.
• Conduct regular financial reviews with root cause analysis, monitor VP profit, oversee profit improvements, and drive operational efficiency through data-driven decision-making and P&L management. 

About you: 

• Master’s degree (preferably from prestigious institutions like IIM, ISB) or Bachelor’s degree (preferably from IIT, REC, or equivalent).
• Minimum 8 years of experience in merchandise planning, forecasting, and financial planning (preferably in e-commerce), with at least 4 years in a leadership role.
• Strong expertise in analyzing historical financial data, building forecasting models, and scenario planning to support strategic decisions.
• Experience developing annual and multi-year financial plans aligned with business goals, setting financial guardrails and growth targets at the category level.

• Proficiency in predictive sales forecasting considering historical data, market trends, marketing campaigns, seasonality, and competitor analysis.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to work with global teams, category managers, and senior leadership, and to present complex financial insights clearly.
• Analytical mindset with deep understanding of category dynamics, market trends, and customer behavior to solve complex business challenges with familiarity with forecasting platforms, data visualization tools, and ERP systems.
• Capability to monitor business performance regularly, manage risks, and develop contingency plans along with exceptional analytical skills to interpret data and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• Passionate leader skilled in building high-performing teams and fostering a culture of excellence with effective collaboration skills to align cross-functional teams across geographies.
• Strong storytelling ability to build compelling narratives through data and drive alignment across teams.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with an entrepreneurial and outcome-focused mindset with willingness to work during crossover hours with US partner teams.