Strategic Merchandising Officer - Retail

Sharaf DG; Dubai; On-site; AED 134,000 - 201,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharaf DG is seeking a Strategic Merchandising Officer - Retail in Dubai to lead category performance, manage margins, and optimize inventory across locations. The role partners with stores, marketing, finance, and product teams to drive sales growth and market share in a dynamic UAE retail market.

The ideal candidate has strong experience in category management, merchandising, and supplier negotiations, with a focus on sales planning, open-to-buy, and planogram execution.

Qualifications

• Experience in retail category management, merchandising, buying, sales planning, and commercial retail operations.
• Strong knowledge of forecasting, margin planning, inventory control, and promotional planning.
• Ability to analyze category data, market trends, and performance reports.
• Open-to-buy management, stock balancing, and planogram updates are understood.

Responsibilities

• Prepare budgets, forecasts, margin plans, buying strategies, and action plans to hit targets.
• Lead supplier negotiations on terms, pricing, margins, volumes, and rebates.
• Collaborate with store teams to meet sales and inventory goals across locations.
• Track performance: sales, margin, stock, market share, promotions, and aging stock.
• Monitor trends, launches, displays, and category opportunities in the market.
• Develop marketing plans, calendars, and communication for promotions.
• Coordinate with product, finance, and operations for execution and reconciliations.
• Maintain optimal inventory levels with open-to-buy discipline and stock rotation.
• Provide regular reports to category leadership on performance and activity.

Skills

Category management

Retail merchandising

Merchandise planning

Retail buying

Supplier negotiation

Vendor management

Sales forecasting

Budgeting

Margin management

Inventory planning

Open-to-buy management

Stock balancing

GMROF analysis

GMROI analysis

Competitor analysis

Market share tracking

Promotional planning

Product assortment planning

Planogram management

Ageing stock clearance

End-of-life inventory planning

Retail sales analysis

Store coordination

Marketing coordination

Finance reconciliation

Supplier rebates

Product registration coordination

GFK data analysis

Retail trend analysis

Customer preference analysis

Microsoft Excel

Sales reporting

Category performance reporting

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Snapshot

Strategic Merchandising Officer - Retail Job Snapshot Role: Strategic Merchandising Officer - Retail Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Industry: Retail Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying Experience: Experience in category management, retail buying, merchandising, supplier negotiations, sales planning, margin control, inventory management, and promotional strategy Job Type: Full-time Position Overview Strategic Merchandising Officer - Retail in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a key Retail opportunity for a commercially strong merchandising and category management professional who can lead category performance, improve sales, protect margins, manage inventory health, and support market share growth. This role is ideal for a candidate with strong retail business understanding, supplier negotiation skills, category strategy experience, and the ability to work closely with stores, marketing, finance, vendors, and internal product teams. Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Dubai Industry: Retail Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying Salary: 12000-18000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time Role Context The Strategic Merchandising Officer - Retail will support category growth by managing sales, margin, stock movement, market share, promotional planning, supplier performance, and inventory productivity under the guidance of the Category Head. The role has direct influence on product availability, store profitability, category competitiveness, supplier partnerships, and customer buying experience. It requires a balance of analytical thinking, commercial negotiation, retail execution, market observation, and strong coordination across business functions.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare category-level budgets, sales forecasts, margin plans, buying strategies, and commercial action plans to achieve assigned category targets.
• Lead supplier negotiations for annual contract terms, pricing, margins, volumes, payment terms, product range, returns, replenishment, minimum stock levels, rebates, and commercial benefits.
• Work closely with store teams to maintain healthy store-level sales, profitable category performance, and balanced inventory availability across locations.
• Track category performance across sales, margin, stock holding, sell-through, market share, ageing stock, promotional response, and store contribution.
• Monitor retail trends, customer preferences, new product launches, innovative displays, and evolving category opportunities in the market.
• Keep a close watch on competitors, pricing movements, promotional offers, product assortment, and retail campaigns to protect and grow market share.
• Develop counter strategies against competing offers and support year-on-year, month-on-month, and week-on-week category improvement.
• Partner with the marketing team to prepare category marketing plans, promotional calendars, campaign inputs, product highlights, and offer communication.
• Coordinate with product registration, vendor coordination, finance reconciliation, brand reconciliation, and store operations teams to ensure smooth category execution.
• Oversee supplier reconciliation, rebate follow-ups, credit notes, claim management, commercial disputes, and vendor-related financial closures.
• Maintain optimum category inventory levels while balancing store requirements, working capital discipline, open-to-buy planning, and stock rotation needs.
• Review internal survey data, customer demand signals, GFK data, market research and sales trends to improve product range and buying decisions.
• Prepare weekly and monthly promotional plans based on stock position, pricing opportunities, seasonal demand, vendor support, and category performance.
• Ensure planograms, product assortments, shelf layouts, and display strategies are updated in line with category priorities and retail standards.
• Create timely clearance plans for ageing stock, end-of-life inventory, slow-moving products, and discontinued items to protect margins and free working capital.
• Analyze in-season category performance using sales versus stock, stock balancing, margin performance, sell-through, inventory ageing, and replenishment data.
• Recommend product range changes, buying pattern improvements, pricing adjustments, assortment expansion, or rationalization based on performance insights.
• Coordinate supplier-led training for store teams to improve product knowledge, selling confidence, and customer conversion for new product launches.
• Track GMROF and GMROI performance against yearly targets and define strategies to improve returns from retail space and inventory investment.
• Review competition offers against Sharaf DG offers and suggest pricing, bundling, display, promotion, or range improvements based on analysis.
• Prepare regular reports for category leadership covering sales performance, margin movement, inventory health, supplier performance, promotions, and market activity.

Ideal Profile

• Experience in retail category management, merchandising, buying, sales planning, product management, or commercial retail operations.
• Strong knowledge of sales forecasting, margin planning, inventory control, supplier negotiation, promotional planning, and retail category performance.
• Ability to analyze category data, market trends, customer demand, competitor offers, GFK insights, and internal performance reports.
• Good understanding of open-to-buy management, stock balancing, ageing inventory clearance, planogram updates, and assortment planning.
• Confident in negotiating supplier terms including margins, rebates, payment terms, product range, replenishment, pricing, and commercial support.
• Experience working with stores, vendors, marketing, finance, product registration, and category leadership in a fast-moving retail environment.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to improve sales, maintain profitability, reduce excess inventory, and support market share growth.
• Skilled in preparing weekly and monthly promotional plans based on stock movement, business targets, customer demand, and competitor activity.
• Comfortable managing multiple category priorities, supplier discussions, campaign deadlines, store requests, and reporting requirements.
• Strong communication, analytical, negotiation, coordination, and decision-making skills.
• Proactive approach to retail execution with the ability to identify gaps, recommend action plans, and follow through until completion.
• Good command of Excel, retail reporting systems, inventory reports, sales dashboards, and category performance tracking tools.

Skills Set

• Category management
• Retail merchandising
• Merchandise planning
• Retail buying
• Supplier negotiation
• Vendor management
• Sales forecasting
• Budgeting
• Margin management
• Inventory planning
• Open-to-buy management
• Stock balancing
• GMROF analysis
• GMROI analysis
• Competitor analysis
• Market share tracking
• Promotional planning
• Product assortment planning
• Planogram management
• Ageing stock clearance
• End-of-life inventory planning
• Retail sales analysis
• Store coordination
• Marketing coordination
• Finance reconciliation
• Supplier rebates
• Product registration coordination
• GFK data analysis
• Retail trend analysis
• Customer preference analysis
• Microsoft Excel
• Sales reporting
• Category performance reporting

Why Join Us

This opportunity offers strong exposure to Retail category strategy, supplier partnerships, commercial planning, inventory productivity, and store-level sales performance in Dubai's competitive consumer retail market. The role is suitable for a commercially focused professional who wants to influence product range, pricing strategy, promotional activity, vendor negotiations, and market share growth while working with a recognized retail business environment.

About the Company

Sharaf DG Abu Dhabi supports retail and business operations across the UAE by hiring professionals who can improve category performance, strengthen supplier relationships, and support profitable sales growth. For this merchandising role in Dubai, the company is looking for a results-driven candidate who can manage retail category planning, inventory movement, promotional execution, and commercial performance with a strong focus on customer demand and market competitiveness.