Lead Business Planner, Strategic Partner, Japan

Who You’ll Work WithThis role is part of Nike Japan Planning team and reports to the Director of Sales Planning. This role will work closely with the Marketplace Unit and collaborate across Assortment Planning, Merchandising, Finance, Inventory Operations, and Business Unit teams. Additionally, this role will partner with Asia Pacific Latin America (APLA) geography teams to support forecast reviews, process improvements, and system enablement.Who We Are Looking ForNike is seeking a strategic planner with a sharp analytical mindset and a strong command of retail financials. The ideal candidate thrives in fast-paced, cross-functional environments and brings a collaborative approach to influencing decisions and driving alignment. This individual will demonstrate leadership through data-driven insights, guiding business strategy and optimizing inventory productivity across Nike Japan.Minimum 6 years’ experience in Buying, Planning, Allocation and/or Vendor Sales for a multi-store retailer or Financial Planning experience with other apparel/ footwear wholesale organizationBachelor’s degree in business or related field.Comprehensive understanding of retail math, including gross margin profitability planning.Strong and demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and influence others.Advanced proficiency in Microsoft office applications; especially in Excel (ie. formulas, pivot tables, spreadsheets)Experience analyzing customer behavior, competitor activity, and retail trends; knowledge of sportswear and footwear market preferred.Strong oral and written communication skills (in both English and Japanese)What You’ll Work OnYou’ll lead seasonal financial planning for Strategic Partner, using consumer insights, trends, and marketing inputs to shape demand and inventory strategies. You’ll collaborate across functions to build aligned plans that drive revenue, margin, and inventory productivity.Own and manage weekly, monthly (rolling four-seasons) open-to-buy forecasts (sales, inventory, margin) against plan/ target.Adjust merchandise financial plans based on actuals and targetsPartner with Finance, Analytics, Assortment Planning, Inventory Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Merchandising to build integrated financial plansDevelop marketplace capacity plans for future seasons and inform cross-functional teams of growth opportunitiesGuide Assortment Planners with pre-season plan, target and develop reconciled merch financial plans and bottom-up assortment plans at pre-season planning cycleSet and track KPIs such as inventory weeks on hand (WOH), turns, cancellations to meet aligned goalsCreate monthly and seasonal plans for Finance, including net ship plans in both amount and units which link to Nike total inventory plansLead alignment meetings with stakeholders and Marketplace Unit (MPU) leaders to drive “one number” planningBuild scenario plans to assess risks and opportunities, and manage inventory liquidation across business unitUse planning tools and forecasts to anticipate trends and build KPI-driven plans (e.g., traffic, conversion rates)