Burberry Manager, Global Merchandise Planning (Maternity Cover)

Burberry; City Of London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A luxury fashion brand in London is seeking a talented Manager for its Global Merchandise Planning team. You will lead planning for a specific category, driving simplification and innovation. The ideal candidate has strong leadership skills and extensive expertise in global planning, particularly in Open to Buy management. This role offers a competitive package and the opportunity to work in a dynamic retail environment.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership in divisional planning teams.
• Extensive expertise in global and collection-level Open to Buy management.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage global Open to Buy across all product lines.
• Deliver margin analysis to support initial margin targets.
• Lead and develop a Planning professional.

Skills

Leadership skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Negotiation skills

Tools

SAP

Job description

INTRODUCTION

At Burberry, we believe creativity opens spaces. Our purpose is to unlock the power of imagination to push boundaries and open new possibilities for our people, our customers and our communities. This is the core belief that has guided Burberry since it was founded in 1856 and is central to how we operate as a company today.

We aim to provide an environment for creative minds from different backgrounds to thrive, bringing a wide range of skills and experiences to everything we do. As a purposeful, values-driven brand, we are committed to being a force for good in the world as well, creating the next generation of sustainable luxury for customers, driving industry change and championing our communities.

JOB PURPOSE

Burberry is looking for a talented Manager to join the Global Merchandise Planning team. Within this position you will lead planning for a specific category driving simplification, innovation, and collaboration.

You will manage Open to Buy across in-season and pre-season, deliver central Collection OTB guidance, and validate regional plans. You will partner closely with Central Merchants, you will ensure assortments meet both financial and creative goals. You will also deliver sharp commercial insights to support sales, margin, and sell-through performance. In the Director's absence, you will have the chance to lead the team, manage priorities, and represent the division in key meetings.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Global Open to Buy Management
  • Manage global Open to Buy across all product lines, aligning with regional plans and supporting in-season decisions, inventory rebalancing, and free stock optimisation.
  • Partner with regional teams to review forecasts, stock cover, and trading performance, challenging assumptions and driving agile inventory management.
  • Deliver commercial analysis to highlight missed opportunities, inform future collections, and support annual budgeting and planning with finance and regional teams.
• Collection Open to Buy Guidance & Collection Development
  • Working closely with the Planning Director, support regional Open to Buy development aligned with product category strategies by identifying and quantifying financial risks and opportunities in collaboration with Merchandising.
  • Lead raw material forecasting and commitment to ensure on-time delivery, manage excess materials, and drive outlet linkage for optimization.
  • Provide unit and vendor forecast projections to Supply Chain for capacity planning, long-term vendor negotiations, and assessment of reorder thresholds for Carry Forward and Replenishment.
• Margin Planning
  • Deliver margin analysis to support initial margin targets and embed margin into Global Open to Buy, including scenario planning to guide strategic decisions.
• Team Leadership
  • Lead and develop a Planning professional through daily guidance, coaching, and mentoring to support personal and professional growth.
  • Champion talent development across Burberry's global planning organisation, fostering a high-performance and collaborative culture.
  • Role model Burberry behaviours and regularly deputise for the Director in key meetings to ensure continuity and leadership presence.

PERSONAL PROFILE

• Proven leadership in managing divisional planning teams within fast-paced commercial and luxury environments, promoting innovation, collaboration, and accountability while driving strategic product and business initiatives.
• Extensive expertise in all facets of divisional planning, including global and collection-level Open to Buy management, collection development, margin planning, and customer-focused problem solving.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills with the ability to influence senior leadership (Chief and SVP levels), combined with exceptional analytical attention to detail and a collaborative approach to cross-functional teamwork; experience with SAP is a plus.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

FOOTER

Burberry is an Equal Opportunities Employer and as such, treats all applications equally and recruits purely on the basis of skills and experience.

Posting Notes: United Kingdom || Not Applicable || London || MERCHANDISING & PLANNING || RETAIL MERCHANDISING || n/a ||