Associate Planner - Retail Planning

About the role

Retail G&A is looking for a commercially driven Associate Planner to join its Retail Planning team in Dubai. The role develops and delivers merchandise plans that maximise sales, margin, stock productivity and inventory performance across retail stores, working closely with Buying, Supply Chain, Store Operations, Finance and Leadership teams.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and manage seasonal, annual and departmental merchandise plans
• Drive sales, gross margin, sell-through and inventory performance against commercial targets
• Own and manage the Open-to-Buy (OTB) process
• Review trading performance and recommend actions to maximise sales and profitability
• Identify risks and opportunities through sales, stock and trend analysis
• Lead markdown and promotional planning to reduce aged stock and protect margin
• Monitor inventory levels, stock cover and replenishment strategies across stores
• Partner with Buying teams on range planning, forecasting and buying decisions
• Manage stock allocation, replenishment and inter-store transfers
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and vendors to improve delivery performance and stock availability
• Produce planning reports and share forecasts and action plans with stakeholders
• Lead people management, setting performance standards, giving balanced feedback and building strong stakeholder relationships

Required profile

• 7-8 years of experience in Merchandise Planning, Retail Planning, Demand Planning or Commercial Planning in a retail environment
• Minimum 2 years of hands-on Open-to-Buy (OTB) management experience
• Experience planning across multiple stores, categories or regions
• Ideal: fashion, sportswear, lifestyle, department store, beauty or specialty retail background

Required skills

• Strong experience in sales forecasting, inventory planning, stock optimization and trading analysis
• Understanding of KPIs such as sales, margin, sell-through, stock turn, cover and markdown performance
• Advanced Excel and analytical capabilities
• Planning tools, forecasting systems or retail ERP platforms (ideal)
• Stakeholder management and presentation skills