Category Planning Manager (Project Hire)

Job ID 10142429 Location Kissimmee, Florida, United States Business Disney Experiences Date posted Mar. 24, 2026

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Job Summary:

At Disney Consumer Products, we inspire imagination around the world and are committed to creating happiness for families and fans by bringing captivating, inspiring, and inclusive products into their daily lives. From toys to t-shirts, console games, books, and more, our team brings our beloved brands and franchises into the lives of families through products and experiences that can be found worldwide, such as the Disney Store e-commerce platform, Disney Parks, local and international retailers, and Disney Store locations around the world.

As a Category Planning Manager (Project Hire), you will drive a multichannel quarterly and annual financial strategy and assortment for categories based on detailed knowledge of business insights and analytics, trends within the marketplace and demographic profile across all regions. In this role you will evaluate the assortment and respond to in-season performance, trends, and learnings to inform & adjust future season’s assortment and inventory position. You will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of all key financial performance indicators.

You will report to the Sr. Manager- Merchandise Planning

This role is a 6-month project hire (PH) position with no guarantee of permanent employment (length of role may change based on business needs). This role will sit onsite in Kissimmee, FL.

You Will:

In partnership with leader, strategize & develop financial plans to achieve growth and profitability that align with key product strategies, within a specific department or category of consumer goods, i.e., toys, apparel, accessories, consumables, etc.
Own pre-season plans that align with grow/maintain/downtrend positioning for merchandise and category initiatives.
Manage category product releases and mitigate financial gaps year over year.
Understand and manage in-season performance and trends to inform future seasons.
Leverage weekly business insights to understand item level performance to maximize seasonal opportunities and minimize liability.
Create high-level revenue benchmarks to achieve growth and profitability that align with cross category initiatives for all channels.
Provide benchmarks with understandable comp to deliver range of products to achieve financial objectives.
Partner with Merchandiser to force rank newness to maximize buys with clearly understand of product lifecycle.
Establish framework for assortment line architecture as well as financial targets for Specific/Developed business for a specific quarter.
Manage and input retail category plans for Annual Operating Plans/Forecast in MFP.
Develop stratification of items to determine cannibalization, optimize SKU efficiency, and ensure inventory management of item/category.
Own category Profit & Loss drives the business with full accountability to revenue and cost of goods.
Re-forecast sales, inventory and margin monthly based on category performance.
In partnership with leader, provide cause of change for monthly open to buy meetings.
Collaborate with Location Strategy to identify pricing and liquidation opportunities to manage transition of product.
Understands and uses tools available to purchase, analyze and react to trends in the business to achieve growth and profitability objectives.
Proactively provide communication on stock availability.
Seek understanding of Store Assortment Strategies across our domestic parks.

You Will Have / Required Qualifications:

2+ years of merchandise planning experience (preferred high volume planning experience)
Proficient in Microsoft tools & Business Objects.
Financial and analytical skills, merchandise financial planning.
Diverse knowledge of both Softlines and Hardlines businesses and processes.
Verbal and written communication skills, including comfort with executive-level presentations.
Organizational skills with attention to detail.
Ability to be adaptable to feedback and pivot based on changing organizational priorities.
Experience being flexible and adaptable with an ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Resourceful with ability to prioritize, solve problems and make decisions.
Ability to collaborate with peers and partners (both internal and external)

Required Education:

Bachelor’s degree in business/finance or equivalent work experience.

Additional Information:

Disney offers a rewards package to help you live your best life. This includes health and savings benefits, educational opportunities and special extras that only Disney can provide. Learn more about our benefits and perks at https://jobs.disneycareers.com/benefits

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About Disney Experiences:

Disney Experiences brings the magic of Disney stories and franchises to life through theme parks, resorts, cruise ships, unique vacation experiences, products and more around the world. Disney shines in the travel industry with six resort destinations in the United States, Europe and Asia; a top-rated cruise line; a popular vacation ownership program; and an award-winning guided family adventure business. Plus, Disney's global consumer products operations include the world's leading licensing business; the world's largest children's publishing brands; one of the world's largest licensors of games across all platforms; and Disney store locations around the world and on the web.

About The Walt Disney Company:

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise that includes three core business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN, and Disney Experiences. From humble beginnings as a cartoon studio in the 1920s to its preeminent name in the entertainment industry today, Disney proudly continues its legacy of creating world-class stories and experiences for every member of the family. Disney’s stories, characters and experiences reach consumers and guests from every corner of the globe. With operations in more than 40 countries, our employees and cast members work together to create entertainment experiences that are both universally and locally cherished.

This position is with Disney Global Product Dev & Creative, which is part of a business we call Disney Experiences.

Disney Global Product Dev & Creative is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military or veteran status, medical condition, genetic information or disability, or any other basis prohibited by federal, state or local law. Disney champions a business environment where ideas and decisions from all people help us grow, innovate, create the best stories and be relevant in a constantly evolving world.

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