Associate Planner - 12m FTC

The Inside Job; Metropolitan Borough of Solihull; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading merchandise planning company in the UK is looking for an Associate on a 12-month fixed-term contract. This role involves supporting the management of product inventory, including forecasting, analysis, and reporting. Candidates should have experience in Merchandise Planning, strong analytical skills, and advanced capabilities in Microsoft Excel. This position offers a great opportunity to develop foundational planning skills while contributing to the business's success.

Qualifications

• Experience within Merchandise Planning required.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills necessary.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong technical skills including advanced Excel.

Responsibilities

• Support building sales, margin, and inventory plans.
• Analyse previous season performance to identify growth.
• Assist in evaluating product opportunities using financial metrics.
• Prepare reports highlighting trends vs. forecast.
• Maintain inventory forecasts and planning tools.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Technical skills

Time management

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Join our Merchandise Planning team as an Associate on a 12-month fixed-term contract and support the management of one of the company’s largest financial assets: product inventory. In this role, you’ll work closely with your Planning Lead and wider team to support forecasting, analysis, and allocation across your category.

You’ll gain hands‑on experience interpreting sales and inventory data, supporting financial planning decisions, and contributing to cross‑channel strategies. This is a great opportunity to develop strong foundational planning skills while making a meaningful contribution to business performance.

What you’ll be doing

Pre‑Season

Support the Planning Lead with building sales, margin, and inventory plans across departments, styles, and colours.

Analyse previous season performance to identify growth opportunities, missed sales, and key financial drivers.

Assist in evaluating product opportunities and risks using financial and trend metrics (IMU, AUR, AUC, margin).

Support recommendations for style and colour counts and product flow to maximise margin and productivity.

Help prepare financial strategy materials for grow/maintain/decline categories and quarterly investment reviews.

Maintain and update pre‑season forecasting tools and planning trackers.

In‑Season

Support daily and weekly trading updates by preparing performance reports and highlighting trends vs. forecast.

Flag potential risks and opportunities and assist with proposed actions for current and future trading periods.

Help prepare sales, margin, and inventory forecasts, including support for monthly OTB meetings.

Support allocation and replenishment to maintain healthy in‑stock levels across stores and channels.

Maintain weekly style‑level sales plans to support department‑level forecasting.

Assist with markdown and promotional analysis by modelling pricing and margin scenarios.

What you’ll need

• Experience within Merchandise Planning
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with attention to detail.
• Clear and confident written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast‑paced environment.
• Strong technical skills, including advanced Microsoft Excel and the ability to quickly learn new systems and tools.

CLOSING DATE: 16th January 2026