Assistant Planning Manager | Retail | Fashion & Accessories | UAE

The Assistant Planning Manager plays a pivotal role in supporting the planning function, focusing on developing precise financial, sales, and inventory plans across various markets and channels.

This position is crucial for forecasting sales, margins, markdowns, and inventory needs to ensure robust business performance and efficient stock management.

Collaborating closely with teams such as Merchandising, Allocation, Retail, and Supply Chain, the Assistant Planning Manager ensures alignment and accurate execution of plans.

Responsible for planning the annual business plan by market and business unit.

Deliver weekly WSSI for Clothing, Home and Total Business.

Execute markdown management.

Deliver sales, cash margin, markdown cost, and closing stock as per the business plan.

Support the development of seasonal and annual sales plans by market, store, category, and channel including Retail, E-Commerce, and Omnichannel.

Assist in building weekly, monthly, and seasonal sales forecasts, incorporating past performance, trends, and business drivers.

Prepare financial projections for gross profit, gross margin, markdown, and inventory.

Track performance versus plan and highlight risks or opportunities.

Support Planning Manager in business unit sales planning by season, incorporating new product strategies, forward-looking initiatives, and potential sales gaps from the previous year.

Monitor performance against plan, identifying risks, opportunities, and corrective actions to optimize seasonal results.

Support markdown planning, price phasing, and promotional analysis.

Track sell-through and aging stock to recommend timely markdown actions.

Partner with Merchandising to ensure markdown strategy protects margin while achieving sell-through targets.

Prepare weekly and monthly business performance reports including sales, margin, stock, and KPIs.

Analyze product, category, and store performance to support strategic decisions.

Identify business risks and provide insight-driven recommendations.

Support Finance in validating forecasts and financial submissions.

Work with Buying and Merchandising team on weekly business unit and department-level planning.

Maintain accurate planning data and product hierarchies in reporting systems.

Develop templates, dashboards, and presentations for planning reviews.