Merchandise Planner

JOHN LEWIS; Bracknell; Hybrid; GBP 44,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

John Lewis is seeking a Merchandise Planner to create, optimise, and deliver supplier ordering and stock plans, aligning with demand forecasts. You’ll influence stock availability, reduce wastage, and manage working capital within a hybrid work model at Bracknell HQ.

You'll collaborate with Category Proposition and Operations to ensure lead times, stock flow, and capacity align with business targets. Night premiums may apply for late hours; closing date in November 2026.

Qualifications

• Evidence of using data for analysis and decision making in an FMCG or head office retail environment.
• Collaborating on projects to deliver solutions for business success.
• Influencing and managing supplier and customer relationships.
• Experience of working in a trading team to deliver measurable performance.

Responsibilities

• Optimising stock availability for Food & Grocery to hit sales targets while controlling wastage and working capital.
• Collaborating with the Category Proposition Group to deliver Customer and Commercial strategy; ensure stock plans reflect cross-business decisions.
• Optimising system setup: lead times, delivery frequency, stock flow, safety stock, and presentation stock.
• Collaborating with Operations to ensure stock plans fit capacity constraints and volume targets.
• Working with Trading and Supply Chain to monitor supplier performance and address shortages, late deliveries, code life, and stock presentation.
• Monitoring and reporting on KPI performance, proactively identifying and implementing appropriate actions.
• Completing daily exceptions and escalations, investigating root causes, sharing knowledge across teams.

Skills

Data analysis

FMCG experience

Stakeholder collaboration

Tools

JDA

Anaplan

Job description

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Merchandise Planner, you will be focused on creating, optimising, and delivering plans for supplier ordering and stock replenishment that result in the right amount of stock, in the right place, at the right time, building on the demand forecasts.

Planning activity is an integral part of the work of each Category Proposition Group to deliver the trade plan, and it has a direct impact on the delivery of key stock KPIs (availability, explained wastage, stock holding).

In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00 - 06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £5.25 per hour. This will also apply to existing Partners who have enrolled onto Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.

Expected Salary - Salary up to £55,000, depending on experience

Contract type - Permanent

Location - Bracknell Head Office

Working pattern/flexible working - The Partnership has adopted a hybrid working approach, meaning you'll be able to work flexibly between the office and home based upon the needs of the business. The team aims for 3 days a week in the office to connect and on a more ad-hoc basis to attend key meetings. Please note, there may be some weekend working required on infrequent occasions.

Key Responsibilities

• Optimising stock availability for Food & Grocery customers to achieve sales category targets while actively controlling wastage and working capital costs.
• Collaborating with the Category Proposition Group to deliver the Customer and Commercial strategy and ensure stock plans reflect cross-business decisions.
• Optimising system setup, including lead times, delivery frequency, stock flow through the network, safety stock, and presentation stock.
• Collaborating with the Operations team to ensure stock flow plans are compatible with capacity constraints and volume targets.
• Proactively working with Trading and Supply Chain to monitor and manage supplier performance, holding accountability for shortages, late deliveries, code life, and stock presentation.
• Monitoring and reporting on KPI performance, proactively identifying and implementing appropriate actions.
• Completing daily exceptions and escalations on time, investigating root causes, and sharing knowledge across relevant teams.

Essential skills/experience you'll need

• Evidence of using data for analysis and decision making in an FMCG or head office retail environment
• Collaborating on projects to deliver solutions for business success
• Influencing and managing supplier and customer relationships
• Experience of working in a trading team to deliver measurable performance

Desirable skills/experience you may have

• JDA System knowledge & experience
• Anaplan knowledge & experience

Closing Date

November 8, 2026

Pay

£44,000.00 - £69,100.00 Annual

Contract Type

Permanent

Hours of Work

35

Job Level

Partnership Level 7

Where You'll Be Working

Bracknell Campus, Doncastle Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8YA

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP

We're the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We're not just employees, we're Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there's never been a more exciting time to join us.

We're ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we're free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.

Important points to note

• It's important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you'll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.
• We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible.