Job Purpose:
The Manager of the Merchandise Planning department will be responsible for leading the team to drive strategic business goals by identifying new growth opportunities, developing best practices and ensuring merchandise excellence regionally/globally. The Manager will partner the BU Head to grow wholesale business, develop new team competencies and drive projects to deliver new value to markets.
Key Responsibilities:
- Develop Merchandising and Inventory Management strategies with BU Head to drive wholesale business and support business planning activities
- Review and manage Category Open-To-Buy (rolling budget plan) of Franchisee markets; review category sales projections and optimize inventory flow to fulfill wholesale and retail targets
- Ensure compliance of partners regarding key global merchandise initiatives and maintain consistent brand image globally through innovative “glocbalised” ranging strategies
- Understand global/regional consumer demand nuances through in-depth analysis to review order efficiency by SKU
- Conduct in-depth market and data analysis to undercover new business value levers; create compelling business presentations to lead stakeholders forward
- Anticipate potential inventory liabilities and take timely actions to maintain stock holdings at desired level
- Collaborate with Operations and Visual Merchandising teams to roll-out buying and inventory management best practices for franchisee markets
- Set wholesale prices and collaborate with global Merchandising team to improve retail and wholesale profitability through smart regional product and pricing strategies
- Initiate and lead cross-departmental projects to improve process efficiency or create new retail value
- Coach team and provide development opportunities to dynamic team
- Maintain excellent working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
- Complete all other tasks assigned by Management
Requirements
- At least 7 years of relevant experience, 3 years in leadership positions
- Degree in Business/Accountancy/Finance/Retail Management/Supply Chain
- Able to lead, motivate and develop young dynamic team of Planners
- Positive work attitude with strong ability to learn and apply quickly
- Strong interest in Fashion and Retail
- Keen eye for detail with an aptitude for numbers; convincing data storyteller
- Able to breakdown and analyze complex issues to implement effective solutions with business partners
- Able to communicate and present ideas effectively across departments and regional teams with different working cultures to effect change
- Highly adaptable and able to embrace constant changes in a dynamic work environment
- Proficient in Excel and PowerBI, ideally with basic understanding of Data Science and Python