Associate Planner

About the Role

Functional Responsibilities

• Develop and manage seasonal, annual, and departmental merchandise plans.
• Drive sales, gross margin, sell-through, and inventory performance against commercial targets; manage the Open-to-Buy process.
• Review trading performance, recommend actions, and identify risks and opportunities through sales, stock, and trend analysis.
• Lead markdown and promotional planning to reduce aged stock and protect margin.
• Monitor inventory, stock cover, and replenishment across stores; manage allocation and inter-store transfers.
• Partner with Buying on range planning, forecasting, and buying decisions; collaborate with Supply Chain and vendors on deliveries and availability.
• Produce planning reports and communicate performance updates, forecasts, and action plans to stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement in merchandise planning processes and decision-making.

People and Stakeholder Expectations

• Promote accountability, urgency, clear performance standards, and balanced feedback within the team.
• Build rapport and relationships across a wide range of people, listen to input, and adapt to interpersonal dynamics.
• Analyze diverse information to define complex problems and distinguish relevant facts from opinions.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, adapting messages to different stakeholders.
• Develop new skills and seek assignments that extend capabilities.
• Make timely, high-quality decisions under uncertainty and seek relevant input.

Qualifications

• 7–8 years of Merchandise Planning, Retail Planning, Demand Planning, or Commercial Planning experience in retail.
• At least 2 years of hands-on Open-to-Buy management experience.
• Strong sales forecasting, inventory planning, stock optimization, and trading analysis experience.
• Experience working closely with Buying and Merchandising teams and planning across multiple stores, categories, or regions.
• Strong understanding of sales, margin, sell-through, stock turn, stock cover, and markdown KPIs.
• Advanced Excel and analytical capabilities.

Ideal Candidate

• Retail experience in Fashion, Sportswear, Lifestyle, Department Store, Beauty, or Specialty Retail is desirable.
• Experience using planning tools, forecasting systems, or retail ERP platforms is desirable.
• Strong stakeholder management and presentation skills are desirable.

Why Join Us?

• Help shape inventory and commercial performance while partnering with cross-functional teams to drive profitable growth and influence planning decisions.