Planner

Ounass; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Ounass, Dubai-based luxury online retailer, is seeking a Merchandise Planning professional to own end-to-end planning for the assigned area. You will lead OTB and MSSI, partners with Buying to shape assortment, and drive weekly cross-functional reviews with a data-driven mindset.

Strong Excel, analytical skills and English proficiency are required. You will manage budgeting, forecasting, inventory, pricing and margin strategy, ensuring alignment with brand direction and market trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Retail or related field.
• 3–5 years of merchandise planning experience, ideally in luxury, fashion or e-commerce.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong numerical capability for data analysis.
• Analytical skills to interpret data and communicate insights.
• Knowledge of inventory management, markdowns, pricing and margin.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of end-to-end merchandise planning cycle for the assigned area (budget, OTB, in-season trading, end of season).
• Partner with Buying to shape assortment and brand strategy using data, trends and supplier input.
• Lead and drive weekly cross-functional commercial trade meetings with clear actions.
• Manage OTB, MSSI forecast and budgeting, presenting commercial rationale behind decisions.
• Identify opportunities to automate reporting and improve forecast accuracy and efficiency.
• Deliver net sales, margin, and sell-through targets and review performance weekly.
• Review and adjust plans across brands, categories, markets; drive topline sales.

Job description

What You'll Be Doing

Strategic Planning & Commercial Ownership

• Take full ownership and accountability for the complete end-to-end merchandise planning cycle for the assigned area, from budget and OTB through in-season trading to end of season.

• Partner with the Buying counterpart to shape the assortment and brand strategy, using data from customer behaviour, brand and category performance, market trends and supplier input to decide where to invest and where to pull back.

• Lead and drive weekly cross-functional commercial trade meetings, ensuring clear action plans are agreed, owned and executed.

• Manage MSSI reforecasting, OTB and budgeting using trade-driven insights and the Buying team's assortment strategy, and confidently present the commercial rationale behind every decision.

• Identify opportunities to evolve the planning function by automating manual work, improving reporting and testing new ideas that enhance forecast accuracy and efficiency.

Performance Ownership

• Deliver net sales, margin (rate and value) and sell-through targets for the assigned area.

• Review performance weekly by brand, category, channel and market to identify risks and opportunities, and recommend clear actions.

• Drive topline sales through actions across brands, categories, markets, reorders and customer insights, working cross-functionally to implement them.

• Present performance, insights and recommendations with impact to Trade and leadership.

Budget, OTB & MSSI

• Own the budget for the assigned area, including sales and margin, and set the benchmarks used to track performance.

• Manage OTB end to end, from creation through pre-season and in-season trading to end of season, in line with business direction and buying strategy.

• Manage the MSSI forecast, ensuring sales, margin and stock metrics are linked to a robust, well-explained outlook, with a clear commercial story behind the numbers.

Inventory & Fulfilment

• Recommend continuity and seasonal reorders in line with OTB and model stock.

• Optimise inventory across warehouses to increase in-country fulfilment in every market, while reducing overstock, trouble-coded, RTV and non-sellable stock.

• Monitor stock cover, sell-through and terminal stock, and plan liquidation where needed.

• Review supplier and brand delivery performance and elevate issues to the Buying team.

Markdown, Pricing & Margin

• Build product-level markdown recommendations for promotions and end-of-season reductions in line with brand guidelines, and oversee their execution within business timelines.

• Review item pricing and recommend price increases or decreases to optimise margin and sell-through in line with commercial strategy.

• Review risks and opportunities at category, brand and item level, recommending solutions that protect margin.

Reporting & Analysis

• Build and extract reports based on business requirements, including ad hoc requests, and translate data into clear insights and actionable next steps.

• Keep planning tools and records accurate and up to date, ensuring adherence to the planning calendar and deadlines.

People Management & Development

• Manage, mentor and train junior planning team members, ensuring best practices are followed and knowledge is shared.

• Teach, inspire and challenge the team through regular feedback, coaching and development, preparing them for their next role.

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Retail or a related field.

• 3–5 years of merchandise planning experience, ideally within luxury, fashion or e-commerce retail, including hands-on ownership of OTB, MSSI reforecasting and budgeting.

• Advanced Excel skills, exceptional attention to detail and strong numerical capabilities for accurate data analysis.

• Advanced analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and communicate key insights effectively.

• Strong commercial and business understanding, with knowledge of the key drivers of sales growth and profitability.

• Proven experience managing OTB, MSSI reforecasting and budgeting in line with business direction.

• Strong knowledge of inventory management, markdown strategy, pricing and margin optimisation.

• Experience with planning and reporting tools and systems, such as MicroStrategy, with the ability to build reports based on business requirements.

• Strong knowledge of the fashion and luxury market, including brands and their benchmarks.

• A commercially driven mindset with a track record of delivering sales and margin targets.

• Strong ownership and accountability, with the initiative to drive actions and deliver results.

• Ability to measure the impact of commercial decisions and adapt quickly to changing business priorities.

• A continuous improvement mindset, with a strong interest in automation, efficiency and evolving ways of working.

• A customer-centric approach, ensuring customer needs and experience remain at the centre of planning decisions.

• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence Buying, Trade and Operations teams.

• A collaborative approach, entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to continuously learn and develop.

• Proficiency in English.