The Associate Merchandise Planner will support the delivery of sales, profitability, and inventory performance for our Own Brand footwear business through effective range and assortment planning, OTB management, critical path ownership, and inventory planning. Using data-driven insight and strong commercial awareness, the role helps translate range plans into profitable, on-time stock delivery across all channels within a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Key Accountabilities

Product Planning

-Support the development of sales plans and OTB (Open to Buy) by collaborating with Buying, Finance, Retail, and Ecommerce teams. Utilize sales data, market conditions, and supplier inputs to help inform merchandise strategies and support profitable decision-making.

- Maintain and have understanding of Monthly and Weekly Sales and Stock Intake (MSSI/WSSI) plans to ensure stock levels are optimized, helping to maximize sales and margin

- Own forecasting and re-forecasting efforts by analysing sales performance and market trends, assisting in adjusting plans to align with current business conditions.

- Support inventory management efforts by ensuring accurate stock tracking and alignment with sales and stock forecasts, assisting in allocation and replenishment processes to maintain healthy stock levels across various business channels.

- Identify and address aging stock, working to improve liquidation processes and solve inventory discrepancies to optimize stock levels.

- Own range and assortment planning by channel, region, or store, including line card management, ensuring width/depth decisions align with merchandise strategy and commercial targets

- Track and manage the critical path from range sign-off through to delivery, flagging slippage risk and coordinating with Design, Product Development and Sourcing to protect key dates

- Manage lead times across both short and long lead-time supplier models, adjusting buy and reorder strategy to reflect supplier capability and seasonal cadence

- Perform basic option count analysis and depth analysis providing insights and recommendations to the team.

- Conduct trade analysis to understand market trends and consumer preferences, communicating potential sales or stock risks and opportunities to the wider team.

- Highlight risks and opportunities on planned sales, gross margin, and inventory based on supply or demand gaps, suggesting possible solutions and actions.

- Support presentations to management with recommendations

Performance Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

-Monitor key planning KPIs, such as Full Price Sell-Through, DOI, OTIF, NOS/ISA, GM and allocation efficiency.

-Conduct post-mortem analyses of previous seasons to identify insights and best practices to inform future planning cycles.

Team Leadership and Development

-Mentor and develop Mechandise Planning Assistant, fostering a culture of collaboration and best practices in planning.

What you'll need to succeed

Professional Experience

- 4-6 years of experience in merchandise/product planning, ideally gained within a monobrand or own-brand environment where you owned range planning, line cards, critical path and lead-time management end-to-end experience spanning both monobrand and multibrand planning is a strong plus.

-Hands-on experience managing both short and long lead-time supplier models.

-Understanding of planning tools, such as Blue Yonder, SAP, or equivalent systems.

-Proven ability to plan and manage continuity product balancing availability and cover.

-Experience across Retail and Digital is preferred but any true Omni (locally or globally) experience would be beneficial to the business.

Education

-Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, or a related field.

Additional Skills

- Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills for inventory and supply optimization.

- Good communication capabilities to manage and align cross-functional teams.

- Time management and prioritisation

- Understanding of OTB planning, inventory management principles, and markdown strategies.

- Excellent problem solving capability and attention to detail

- Knowledge of inventory management principles, OTB calculations, and markdown planning.

- Knowledge of how to leverage AI tools in the workplace for day-to-day activities would be a bonus.

What we can offer you

With us,you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.

We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employeediscounts.

Using GenAI in Your Application Process

To support a fair and consistent experience for all candidates, we ask that assessments and interviews are completed independently and without assistance from generative AI tools. This ensures we understand your strengths, your thinking, and how you approach real situations.

We Invite All Applicants to Apply

It Takes Diversity Of Thought, Culture, Background, Differing Abilities and Perspectives to truly Inspire, Exhilarate and Delight our customers. At Chalhoub Group, we are committed to inclusion and diversity.

We welcome all applicants to apply and be part of our exciting future. We ensure equal opportunity for all our applicants without regard to gender, age, race, religion, national origin or disability status.

Associate Merchandise Planner - Level Shoes