Assistant Planning Manager - M and S

AlFuttaim

Dubai

On-site

AED 156,240 - 245,520

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

AlFuttaim is seeking an Assistant Planning Manager in Dubai to oversee merchandise planning and support business planning across various channels. This pivotal role involves tracking inventory, preparing financial projections, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance operational performance.

The successful candidate should have a degree in Business or a related field and 3-5 years of experience in merchandise and financial planning. Proficiency in planning tools like PowerBI and Excel is crucial for this position, which offers full-time employment with a competitive salary.

Qualifications

3-5 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, or retail analysis is required.
Experience in fashion, home, multi-category retail, or large retail business environments is preferred.
Strong analytical and numerical skills with excellent attention to detail.

Responsibilities

Support annual business planning by market, business unit, and channel.
Prepare financial projections covering gross profit, gross margin, and inventory.
Track sales, cash margin, and inventory position against the approved business plan.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Financial planning

Sales forecasting

WSSI reporting

Inventory planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management or related field

Tools

PowerBI

Tableau

JDA

SAP

Advanced Excel

Job description

Overview

Assistant Planning Manager - M and S in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a Retail hiring opportunity for a commercially focused planning professional with strong experience in merchandise planning, sales forecasting, WSSI reporting, inventory control, markdown management, and financial analysis. This role supports Al‑Futtaim Retail by helping develop accurate sales, margin, stock, markdown, and business plans across markets, stores, categories, and channels including Retail, E‑Commerce, and Omnichannel. The position is suited for a highly analytical planning professional who can convert performance data into practical business actions. The successful candidate will work closely with merchandising, buying, allocation, finance, retail, and supply chain teams to track business performance, identify risks and opportunities, support seasonal planning, and help ensure stock and financial plans are delivered with accuracy.

Job Snapshot

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry: Retail
Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying
Experience: 3‑5 years of merchandise planning, financial planning, or retail analysis experience
Job Type: Full‑time
Salary: 14,000‑22,000 AED (estimated; confirmation with employer required)

Key Responsibilities

Support the annual business planning process by market, business unit, store, category, and channel.
Deliver weekly WSSI reporting for Clothing, Home, and total business performance.
Track sales, cash margin, markdown cost, closing stock, and inventory position against the approved business plan.
Support seasonal and annual sales planning across Retail, E‑Commerce, and Omnichannel operations.
Assist in preparing weekly, monthly, and seasonal forecasts using historical sales, current trends, market conditions, and business drivers.
Prepare financial projections covering gross profit, gross margin, markdowns, inventory, and closing stock.
Monitor actual performance against plan and highlight risks, opportunities, gaps, and corrective actions.
Support the Planning Manager in business unit sales planning by season and category.
Include new product strategies, forward‑looking initiatives, and previous‑year sales gaps in planning reviews.
Review business unit performance regularly and recommend actions to improve seasonal outcomes.
Support markdown planning, price phasing, promotion review, and sell‑through improvement activity.
Track aging stock and slow‑moving inventory to recommend timely markdown actions.
Partner with merchandising teams to ensure markdown decisions support stock clearance while protecting margin.
Prepare weekly and monthly reports covering sales, margin, stock, markdown, category performance, and key KPIs.
Analyze product, category, store, and channel performance to support better trading and planning decisions.
Identify business risks and provide insight‑based recommendations to improve sales, availability, stock health, and profitability.
Support finance teams with forecast validation, financial submissions, and performance analysis.
Work with buying and merchandising teams on weekly business unit and department‑level planning.
Maintain accurate planning data, product hierarchies, and reporting structures in relevant systems.
Develop planning templates, dashboards, presentations, and review packs for planning meetings.
Use planning tools and reporting systems to improve visibility, accuracy, and decision‑making.
Collaborate with allocation, retail, supply chain, finance, and e‑commerce teams to ensure plans are practical and aligned with operational execution.

Ideal Profile

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management, or a related field.
3‑5 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, retail analysis, or commercial planning.
Experience in fashion, home, multi‑category retail, or large retail business environments is preferred.
Strong understanding of sales planning, stock planning, inventory forecasting, markdown management, and retail KPIs.
Experience supporting WSSI, seasonal forecasts, margin planning, sell‑through analysis, and category performance reviews.
Advanced Excel skills with strong ability to manage large data sets, formulas, planning templates, trackers, and reports.
Proficiency with reporting and planning tools such as JDA, PowerBI, Tableau, SAP, or similar systems.
Strong analytical and numerical skills with excellent attention to detail.
Good commercial and financial acumen with the ability to understand margin, markdown, stock, and sales impact.
Able to identify risks and opportunities from data and translate findings into practical recommendations.
Strong communication and presentation skills for planning reviews, business updates, and cross‑functional discussions.
Comfortable working under pressure in a fast‑paced retail environment with changing priorities.
Collaborative approach with the ability to work effectively with merchandising, buying, allocation, finance, retail, e‑commerce, and supply‑chain teams.
Organized, reliable, and capable of managing deadlines across weekly, monthly, seasonal, and annual planning cycles.

Skills Set