Inventory Analytical Planner

Marks and Spencer; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20% colleague discount

Discretionary bonus

Pension scheme

Life assurance

Training & development

Volunteer day

Job summary

Marks & Spencer is seeking an Inventory Analytical Planner to balance stock availability with operating costs across Fashion, Home & Beauty. You will use data and planning principles to ensure stock is distributed to the right channel, location and quantities, minimising trapped stock and improving inventory turns.

You’ll analyse stock performance, support replenishment optimisation, and work with multiple teams to drive efficient stock flow across stores and ecommerce in a fast-paced retail

Qualifications

• Understanding of inventory planning and end-to-end supply chain processes.
• Analytical capability to turn data into actionable recommendations.
• Experience with planning/replenishment systems (JDA/Blue Yonder) and advanced Excel.
• Strong commercial awareness and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Manage stock placement across Fashion, Home & Beauty to meet demand and maximise availability.
• Perform product segmentation analysis and authorise movement between segments at size-location level.
• Validate VM and presentation settings; review stock projections and recommend actions to close gaps.
• Model and analyse replenishment strategies and delivery schedule changes.
• Generate reports and insights to improve stock health, inventory turns and DC utilisation.
• Support promotions and new launches with timely allocations and parameter adjustments.

Skills

Inventory planning

Analytical thinking

Excel modelling

JDA

Blue Yonder

Stakeholder management

Tools

JDA

Blue Yonder

Excel

Job description

Our Supply Chain & Logistics colleagues are essential to delivering our huge range of Fashion, Home & Beauty products to our customers. We’re innovating, using technology to push boundaries, and delivering an innovative logistics function. Join us on this remarkable journey as we shape the future of M&S! Do you love using data to shape stock availability and inventory performance across every channel? Then we have the ideal role for you! As an Inventory Analytical Planner, you’ll focus on balancing stock availability and sales across Fashion, Home & Beauty with operating cost across Supply Chain & Logistics and Retail Operations, using data, insight and supply chain planning principles to ensure stock is systemically distributed to the right channel, location and quantities. This will help minimise trapped stock, maximise demand weighted availability, improve inventory turns and support efficient stock flow across all channels.

We are looking for someone with a strong understanding of inventory and supply chain planning within a retail environment, or a similar fast-paced, product-led business, who can use data, insight and strong commercial awareness to support better stock decisions and improve inventory performance.

This role is based at our support centre in Paddington.

What You’ll Do

Your key accountabilities will include:

• Manage stock placement across Fashion, Home & Beauty to meet customer demand and maximise demand weighted availability across stores and ecommerce
• Deliver product segmentation analysis, monitoring and authorising movement between segments to support the right stock holding at size-location level
• Validate VM and Presentation settings, review top-down and bottom-up stock projections, and recommend actions to close gaps
• Complete analysis and modelling to inform replenishment optimisation, including pick frequency, best-fit replenishment strategy and delivery schedule changes
• Generate reporting and insight to improve stock health, EDC occupancy, inventory turns, plan accuracy and DC utilisation
• Support promotional, peak and new launch stock builds through timely and accurate allocations, while responding to trade and adjusting inventory parameters where needed

Who You Are

Your skills and experience will include:

• Strong understanding of inventory planning, supply chain planning, replenishment principles and end-to-end supply chain processes, with the ability to balance stock availability, service, inventory investment and operating cost
• Proven analytical capability, using data and insight to identify opportunities, solve complex problems and translate analysis into clear, actionable recommendations that improve stock flow, availability and inventory productivity
• Experience working with planning and replenishment systems, including JDA or Blue Yonder, alongside advanced Excel skills to manipulate, model and interpret large data sets
• Strong commercial awareness and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to challenge, influence and build effective relationships across Supply Chain, Logistics, Retail and Commercial teams
• Highly organised with strong attention to detail and a proactive continuous improvement mindset, able to manage multiple priorities accurately in a fast-paced environment

What’s in it for you?

Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We’re inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing. Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:

• 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you’ve completed your probation
• Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
• Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
• Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
• Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
• Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
• Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
• 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
• One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you

Everyone’s welcome

We are ambitious about the future of retail. We’re reinventing, innovating and leading the industry into a more conscientious, inspiring digital era. We’re redefining how we work together and offering our most exciting opportunities yet. Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen.

We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.