Kendo Senior Manager, North America Merchandise Planning
- Location
- San FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Employment
- Full-Time
- Seniority
- Senior
- Compensation
- $127,100–158,900/year
- Department
- Merchandising, Buying & Planning
- Posted
- May 27, 2026
About Kendo
Kendo Holdings, Inc. is a San Francisco-based beauty brand developer and wholesaler within the LVMH group. Acting as an incubator for next-generation beauty concepts, Kendo partners with global retailers and direct-to-consumer channels to develop, acquire and scale disruptive brands such as Fenty Beauty and Ole Henriksen. The organisation is known for entrepreneurial energy, creative storytelling and rapid product-to-market execution within the selective beauty landscape.
Kendo — Senior Manager, North America Merchandise Planning (San Francisco, hybrid). Lead wholesale planning, forecasting and Anaplan-enabled insights for Fenty Beauty.
Role & Responsibilities
- Lead and develop a high-performing team of managers and planners across North America wholesale channels; set clear priorities, remove barriers, and create career growth pathways.
- Drive Gross-to-Net operations and consolidation, including forecasting for discounts, promotions and returns (RTV) as part of the wholesale forecast.
- Own forecasts, budgets and open-to-buy (OTB) across multiple wholesale channels; lead monthly forecast reviews and escalate risks and opportunities to Demand Planning, Supply Planning, Sales and Finance.
- Synthesize SKU- and channel-level data into actionable strategic insights for senior leadership and cross-functional partners.
- Partner directly with retailer planning teams to influence assortment, buys and inventory flow to maximise in-stock performance and sell-through.
- Document and standardise planning processes to ensure scalability, repeatability and improved data quality.
- Champion improved forecasting methods, scenario modelling and stronger analytics to support commercial decision-making.
Qualifications
- 7+ years of merchandise or wholesale planning experience with demonstrated success across multiple wholesale channels.
- Proven experience leading and developing direct reports and cross-functional influence with internal stakeholders and retail partners.
- BA/BS in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Economics or equivalent professional experience.
- Deep expertise in advanced Excel (pivot tables, Power Query and complex financial modelling).
- Hands-on experience with enterprise planning platforms; Anaplan strongly preferred.
Skills
Experience
7+ years in merchandise or wholesale planning, including direct leadership of planners/managers and multi-channel wholesale forecasting and assortment partnerships.
Education
BA/BS in Business, Finance, Supply Chain, Economics or equivalent experience.
Workplace
This position is based in San Francisco, California, USA.
Compensation
The base compensation for this position ranges from USD 127,100 to USD 158,900 per annum.
Benefits
Annual bonus; medical, dental and vision insurance; flexible paid time off program; parental leave; employee discount/perks; retirement plan with employer contributions; Summer Fridays; two weeks Work From Anywhere annually; December wellness/shutdown week.
Culture
Kendo operates with an entrepreneurial, 'Can Do' mindset within the LVMH ecosystem, valuing creativity, storytelling and rapid execution. The organisation emphasises diversity and inclusion, collaborative problem-solving and a bias for product excellence while maintaining agility in a fast-moving beauty market.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Kendo, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Senior Merchandise Planning Manager», «North America Wholesale Planning Lead», «Senior Manager, Wholesale Merchandise Planning», «Merchandise Planning Lead — North America», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.