Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Merchandise

AlFuttaim; Dubai; On-site; AED 156,000 - 246,000; Full time

Job summary

Al-Futtaim Retail in Dubai invites applications for Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Merchandise. You will lead weekly forecasts, plan inventory, and coordinate across Merchandising, Buying, Finance and Supply Chain to optimize stock and margins.

The role requires strong Excel, data analysis, and experience in multi-channel retail including eCommerce. Ideal candidates hold a Bachelor's degree in Business/Finance, 3–5 years merchandising planning experience, and proficiency in SAP, Power BI or

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management or related field.
• 3–5 years in merchandise planning, retail analysis or financial planning.
• Experience in fashion, food or multi-category retail preferred.
• Strong numerical reasoning and ability to interpret large data sets.
• Advanced Excel, including structured analysis and reporting.
• Experience with SAP, Power BI, Tableau or similar planning platforms.
• Understanding of sales forecasting, stock flow, margin and markdown principles.
• Ability to manage multiple planning cycles and reporting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare annual business plan by market and business unit.
• Develop forecasts and budgets for sales, margin and inventory.
• Analyze performance and explain variances against plan.
• Collaborate with Merchandising, Buying and Finance to align plans.
• Create dashboards and reports for management reviews.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Sales forecasting

Inventory planning

Gross-margin analysis

Markdown optimization

Sell-through analysis

Aging-stock management

Dashboard development

Retail performance reporting

Education

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

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Tableau

JDA

Job description

Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Merchandise

Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Industry: Retail

Function: Merchandising

Experience: 3-5 years

Job Type: Full-time

Position Overview

The Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Merchandise role in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is an analytical hiring opportunity in the Retail industry focused on sales, margin, markdown and inventory planning. The position supports accurate commercial decisions across markets, stores, product categories and channels, including physical retail, eCommerce and omnichannel operations.

Job Details

Country: United Arab Emirates
City: Dubai
Industry: Retail
Function: Merchandising
Salary: AED 14000-22000 per month
Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in Dubai; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Merchandise-planning salary benchmark (https://www.naukrigulf.com/salaries/merchandise-planning-manager-salary-in-uae)
Gender: Any
Candidate Nationality: Any
Job Type: Full-time
Job Requisition ID: 180601

Role Context

Working alongside Merchandising, Buying, Allocation, Retail, Finance and Supply Chain teams, the Assistant Planning Manager turns trading information into practical stock and financial plans. Accurate forecasting in this role helps protect gross margin, improve sell-through and keep inventory aligned with customer demand.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare the annual business plan by market and business unit.
• Produce the weekly Warehouse Sales and Stock Intake plan for Clothing and Home, Food and the total business.
• Develop seasonal and annual sales plans across stores, categories, markets and channels.
• Build weekly, monthly and seasonal forecasts using historical results, current trends and business drivers.
• Prepare projections for sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown and closing inventory.
• Compare actual performance against plan and explain significant variances.
• Identify commercial risks, stock concerns and emerging sales opportunities.
• Support business-unit planning by season, including new-product expectations and prior-year sales gaps.
• Recommend corrective actions when seasonal performance moves away from plan.
• Assist with markdown planning, price phasing and promotional evaluation.
• Review sell-through rates and aging inventory to determine when markdown action is required.
• Partner with Merchandising to clear stock while limiting unnecessary margin erosion.
• Prepare weekly and monthly reports covering sales, margin, stock and key performance indicators.
• Analyze performance by product, category, department, store and channel.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations for planning and trading reviews.
• Help Finance validate forecasts and formal financial submissions.
• Coordinate weekly department and business-unit plans with Buying and Merchandising.
• Maintain accurate planning data and product hierarchies in business systems.
• Develop dashboards, templates and presentations for management reviews.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management or a related field.
• Three to five years of experience in merchandise planning, retail analysis or financial planning.
• Previous exposure to fashion, food or multi-category retail is preferred.
• Strong numerical reasoning and the ability to interpret large commercial data sets.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including structured analysis and reporting.
• Experience with JDA, SAP, Power BI, Tableau or comparable planning platforms.
• Understanding of sales forecasting, stock flow, margin and markdown principles.
• Ability to manage several planning cycles and reporting deadlines simultaneously.
• Clear communication when presenting risks, opportunities and recommendations.
• Collaborative approach to working with commercial, financial and supply-chain teams.
• Comfortable making accurate decisions in a fast-moving retail environment.

Skills Set

• Merchandise planning
• Sales forecasting
• Inventory planning
• Gross-margin analysis
• Markdown optimization
• Sell-through analysis
• Aging-stock management
• Warehouse Sales and Stock Intake planning
• Seasonal planning
• Financial projections
• Variance analysis
• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• Power BI
• Tableau
• SAP
• JDA
• Dashboard development
• Retail performance reporting

Why Join Us

The role offers exposure to the full retail planning cycle across multiple product groups, markets and sales channels. It provides a strong career route into planning management, commercial finance, merchandise strategy or omnichannel trading while developing expertise in the systems and analytics increasingly central to modern retail operations.

About the Company

Al-Futtaim Retail manages established international brands across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, including IKEA, ACE, Toys R Us, Marks and Spencer, Zara, Mango, Bershka and Watsons. Its portfolio combines fashion, food, home and lifestyle retail across physical and digital channels.