Planning Manager

Holt Renfrew; Toronto; On-site; CAD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee discount

Pension

Health & dental benefits

Tuition assistance

Learning & development

Job summary

Holt Renfrew is seeking a Planning Manager to oversee divisional planning, forecasting and inventory management in a luxury retail environment. You will lead a team of Planners, Assistant Planners and Allocation Analysts, aligning planning inputs with the buying team to maximize full price sales and profits.

The role requires 5–7 years of retail planning experience with leadership responsibilities, strong communication skills, and proficiency in ERP and planning systems.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Experience in retail planning or merchandising is preferred.
• Strong ability to translate strategy into action across teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage divisional merchandise plans to maximize full price sales and profit.
• Collaborate with merchant/buying/store counterparts on planning decisions.
• Lead in-season forecasting, open-to-buy and inventory optimization.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Post secondary education in Business, Retail Management, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

ERP

Merchandise planning systems

Job description

Holt Renfrew offers you an inspiring, fashion-driven environment with opportunities to learn and grow. From our incredible partnerships with iconic luxury brands, to our commitments to corporate social responsibility, you will be inspired every day.

A job at Holt Renfrew offers a competitive total compensation, a generous employee discount, pension, and health & dental benefits, tuition assistance, and continuous learning and development.

The Planning Manager is responsible for overseeing and delivering divisional level multi-dimensional planning and inventory management processes. Leading a team, the role influences and guides the execution of planning, forecasting and inventory management initiatives in collaboration with the buying team to maximize profit.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Manage divisional merchandise plans that align with corporate strategy and deliver maximum full price sales and profit
• Interpret corporate direction and ideal metrics to create a robust multi-dimensional plan to achieve required results
• Build a strong partnership with merchant/buying/store counterparts, to collaborate on planning decisions and opportunities
• Interpret appropriate levels of end of season analysis to support optimizing planning and buying decisions
• Work cross functionally to ensure planning input is collaborative
• Identify and implement opportunities for inventory, buying and full price sell-through improvement
• Review and present plans and ensure cross-functional targets/requirements are shared & understood
• Manage in season performance through the reforecasting cycle to improve inventory productivity and drive profit
• Review and present forecasts across all relevant metrics and hierarchies to ensure a clear understanding of opportunities and risks
• Interpret appropriate levels of in-season analysis to drive inventory recommendations & decisions including managing divisional open to buy
• Collaborate with merchant/buying counterparts to follow through on opportunities to mitigate risk and drive sales, full price sell-through & profit
• Work with Planners, Assistant Planners and Allocation Analysts to manage inventory levels to maximize opportunity across the network
• Manage approach for Demand Forecasts/Auto-Replenishment models and oversee open to buy accordingly
• Manage markdown inventory and proposals on price reductions to drive profitable sell-through
• Collaborate with merchant/buying counterparts to review and manage markdown cadence and proposed markdowns
• Review markdown performance and manage recommendations for action to balance margin and off-price sell-through
• Review and present carryover proposals that ensure optimized inventory performance
• Forecast and follow-up on performance of promotional, marketing and other events
• Manage recommendations on event activity based on inventory performance analysis
• Propose sales and profit impacts and manage relevant inventory alignment and actions
• Review and present analysis on event results and interpret future opportunities
• Lead and develop a team of high performing Planners, Assistant Planners and Allocation Analysts
• Take the opportunity to participate in and champion projects
• Collaborate with peers across planning to ensure consistent, best practice processes, systems and reporting
• Prepare performance presentation data where requested
• Present findings and results to cross functional audiences as required
• Build effective partnerships with internal contacts e.g. merchants, buyers, stores, supply chain, finance, marketing
• Manage the development of processes, systems and reports

Qualifications:

• Post secondary education in Business, Retail Management, or related field
• 5–7 years’ experience in retail planning, with 3+ years in a leadership role
• Proven leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, ERP, and merchandise planning systems
• Adaptable, results-driven, and passionate about fashion and luxury retail

Holt Renfrew is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our future success depends on the perspectives and contributions of all our employees --their diverse backgrounds, abilities and experiences make our business stronger. If you are contacted for a job opportunity and require accommodation, please email [e-mail] and let us know so we can ensure you have an accessible candidate experience throughout the recruitment process. All requests are confidential and used only to meet candidate needs.

Hiring Range: $100,000.00 - $110,000.00

Final compensation for this position will be determined based on the candidate's unique skills, expertise, individual qualifications, and assessed contributions to the role following the completion of the interview process. The range stated is the starting range for this position. Offers may vary with experience, qualifications, performance, and local market conditions. We strive to offer competitive compensation that aligns with a candidate's contributions to our team, along with a comprehensive benefits package, enticing perks, pension matching, incentives, and our coveted employee discount.