Commercial Planning Director, EMEA

Jobtailor; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

New Balance is seeking a strategic and hands-on Head of Commercial Planning for its EMEA region. You will build and lead the planning function across sales, category and business planning, uniting markets and channels under a clear operating model and governance.

You will develop a high-performing team, own end-to-end pre-season planning, and translate data into executive-ready insights and actions that optimize revenue, inventory and profitability across wholesale and key accounts.

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in Sales Planning, Commercial Operations or Business Planning within sports, footwear or fashion/FMCG, with significant EMEA or multi-market scope.
• Proven track record of building and developing a planning function.
• Deep understanding of sell-in/sell-through dynamics, P&L drivers, inventory management and commercial KPIs in wholesale and key account environments.
• Genuine passion for the sports industry and the New Balance brand.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead and own the Planning function across New Balance's EMEA commercial organisation.
• Establish the EMEA Commercial Planning function as a centre of excellence and competitive advantage.
• Develop a high-performing team of Sales, Category and Business Planners across markets and channels.
• Define the EMEA planning operating model, governance, cadence and ways of working.
• Represent Sales Planning on the EMEA Commercial Leadership Team.

Skills

Sales Planning

Commercial Operations

Inventory Management

Analytical Capability

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Degree Educated

Tools

Forecasting Methodologies

Planning Systems Design

Job description

• Build, lead and own the Planning function across New Balance's EMEA commercial organisation
• Establish the EMEA Commercial Planning function as a centre of excellence and competitive advantage
• Develop a high-performing team of Sales, Category and Business Planners across markets and channels
• Define the EMEA planning operating model, governance, cadence and ways of working
• Represent Sales Planning on the EMEA Commercial Leadership Team
• Lead end-to-end pre-season planning for the full New Balance EMEA portfolio across sales channels
• Define pre-season assumptions, revenue targets and investment priorities with Sales, Merchandising and Finance
• Establish account planning frameworks aligned with channel strategies and brand priorities
• Build and maintain integrated forecasting connecting sell-in, sell-through and inventory across EMEA markets
• Govern the planning calendar and enable in-season adjustments
• Build and oversee commercial reporting on sell-through, inventory, reorder trends, market share and competitor benchmarking
• Establish data standards, KPI frameworks and analytical toolkits across markets, categories and channels
• Transform complex data into executive-ready insights and commercial recommendations
• Lead quantitative and qualitative analysis across products, consumers, categories and competitors
• Build a Commercial Planning community of practice across EMEA
• Identify and action in-season opportunities including re-orders, stock rebalancing and overstock mitigation
• Build commercial action plans at account, category and market level
• Support distribution development and sell-out improvement with data-led recommendations
• Develop, manage and recruit a high-performing Sales Planning team across EMEA
• Foster accountability, innovation and collaboration across cross-functional partners
• Champion cross-border collaboration with global New Balance associates
• Raise the analytical and commercial capability of the planning function

Requirements

• Relevant experience in Sales Planning, Commercial Operations or Business Planning within sports, footwear or fashion/FMCG, with significant EMEA or multi-market scope
• Proven track record of building and developing a planning function
• Deep understanding of sell-in/sell-through dynamics, P&L drivers, inventory management and commercial KPIs in wholesale and key account environments
• Preferably strong understanding of the sporting goods and/or lifestyle retail landscape
• Genuine passion for the sports industry and the New Balance brand
• Ability to build high-performing, cross-cultural and remote teams
• Proven capability to develop talent, build clarity and drive accountability
• Exceptional analytical capability and ability to make complex data actionable
• Experience designing and implementing planning systems, tools and forecasting methodologies at scale
• Ability to build strong cross-functional relationships across Sales, Finance, Merchandising, Marketing and Customer Service
• Experience leading or centrally contributing to organisational transformation
• Enterprise thinking connecting Sales Planning to P&L outcomes, commercial strategy and brand health
• Values-driven, resilient under pressure, adaptable to change and committed to accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Degree educated preferred
• Fluent in English; additional European language(s) a strong advantage
• Willingness to travel across EMEA as required (15%)

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in Sales Planning, Commercial Operations, and Business Planning within the sports and footwear industry, with a strong focus on developing high-performing teams and actionable insights from complex data. Proven ability to establish planning frameworks, govern processes, and drive accountability across cross-functional partners.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Sales Planning
• Commercial Operations
• Inventory Management
• Analytical Capability
• Cross-Functional Collaboration

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Forecasting Methodologies
• P&L Management
• KPI Development
• Data Analysis
• Planning Systems Design

Soft Skills

• Team Development
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Collaboration
• Innovation

Certifications & Qualifications

• Degree Educated

Industry Keywords

• Sports Industry
• Footwear
• FMCG
• Wholesale
• Key Account Management