Merchandise Planning Manager - Fashion

JOB PURPOSE: The position of Merchandise Planning Manager is vital in the retail establishment and restock shelves with new products based on customer demands. At this position you will monitor and identify customer trends predict customer trends, customer demand, order merchandise and analyse sales performance. The role also requires anticipating changes in market demand and adjust product availability, accordingly, ensuring the right merchandise is available in the right quantities at the right time. KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:Project sales in-season and track open-to-buy purchase budgets.Drive sales by developing comprehensive business plan.Manages and tracks brand/category sales planning and forecasting processes.Analyse historical data and current trends to identify risks and opportunities; compare sales data of the planned gender/category to company sales and communicate major deviations to relevant stakeholders.Work with the brand managers & division head to actively manage and create seasonal assortment plans. This includes planning backup orders on key core items and major initiatives, recommending orders, increasing/decreasing inventory, and/or cancelling orders.On a monthly and quarterly basis, recap, and report back on the sales results to plan and forecast of in-season sales and inventory.Develop and maintain store clusters using store volume, profile, capacity and performance by gender/category, seasonality, and region; group like stores and create model stock for each gender/category.Develop seasonal budgets that meet the divisional sales and gross margin goals.Drive Assortment Planning Tool by using Locational financial plans to align with Lifestyle and Size of door, established Product targets.Provide direction & insights to the allocation team to ensure inventory is optimized.Support new store openings, project analysis, validation of plans, and ad-hoc requests.EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATION:Bachelor’s degree in logistics, engineering, marketing, communications, business management, or a similar discipline, MBA preferred.Minimum 5-6 years’ experience in fashion retail, with in depth experience in merchandising and financial understandingSKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & ABILITIES:Job Specific: High level of attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all aspects of operations and inventory managementExcellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret data, generate insights, and make data-driven decisions.Generic Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skillsAbility to work collaboratively within cross-functional teams and foster positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.Consultative selling and negotiation skills to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with the store team and brand managers.WORK ENVIRONMENT: AKI Offices, Dubai