Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Forecasting & Inventory

Al-Futtaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Al-Futtaim Retail in Dubai seeks an Assistant Planning Manager to develop accurate financial, sales, and inventory plans across channels and markets. You will forecast sales, margin, markdown, and inventory needs while aligning with Merchandising, Allocation, Retail and Supply Chain teams.

You will contribute to annual planning, manage markdown strategies, and prepare weekly performance reports, leveraging advanced Excel and BI tools to support strategic decisions in a fast-paced fashion and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management, or related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, or retail analysis.
• Experience with planning systems such as JDA, Power BI, Tableau, SAP, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Plan Annual Business Plan by Market and Business Unit.
• Deliver weekly Warehouse Sales and Stock Intake (WSSI) for Clothing & Home, Food and Total Business.
• Execute Markdown Management ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Develop seasonal and annual sales plans by market, store, category, and channel (Retail, E-Commerce, Omnichannel).
• Prepare financial projections for Gross Profit, Gross Margin, Markdown, and Inventory.
• Track performance versus plan and highlight risks or opportunities.
• Support Planning Manager in Business Unit sales planning by season, incorporating new product strategies.
• Monitor performance against plan, identifying risks, opportunities, and corrective actions.
• Support markdown planning, price phasing, and promotional analysis.
• Track sell-through and aging stock to recommend timely markdown actions.
• Partner with Merchandising to ensure markdown strategy protects margin while achieving sell-through targets.
• Prepare weekly and monthly business performance reports including sales, margin, stock, and KPIs.
• Analyze product, category, and store performance to support strategic decisions.
• Identify business risks and provide insight-driven recommendations.
• Support Finance in validating forecasts and financial submissions.
• Work with Buying and Merchandising team on Weekly BU and Dept level planning.
• Maintain accurate planning data and product hierarchies in reporting systems.
• Develop templates, dashboards, and presentations for planning reviews.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excel proficiency

Communication & presentation

Multi-priority management

Reporting skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance/Retail

Tools

JDA

Power BI

Tableau

SAP

Job description

Al-Futtaim Retail in Dubai seeks an Assistant Planning Manager to develop accurate financial, sales, and inventory plans across channels and markets. You will forecast sales, margin, markdown, and inventory needs while aligning with Merchandising, Allocation, Retail and Supply Chain teams.

You will contribute to annual planning, manage markdown strategies, and prepare weekly performance reports, leveraging advanced Excel and BI tools to support strategic decisions in a fast-paced fashion and