Merchandise Planner

Waitrose & Partners; Bracknell; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Waitrose & Partners in the United Kingdom is seeking a Merchandise Planner to create, optimise and deliver supplier order and stock replenishment plans. The role focuses on right stock, in the right place, at the right time, supporting availability and wastage KPIs within a hybrid office‑and‑home setup.

You’ll work with Category Proposition Groups, Operations, and Trading to ensure data‑driven stock plans align with business strategy.

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 to meet sales targets while controlling wastage and costs.
• Collaborating with the Category Proposition Group to reflect cross‑business decisions in stock plans.
• Optimising system setup, lead times, delivery frequency, stock flow, safety stock and presentation stock.
• Collaborating with Operations to ensure stock flow plans fit capacity constraints and targets.
• Working with Trading and Supply Chain to monitor supplier performance and address shortages or delays.
• Monitoring KPI performance and taking proactive actions.
• Handling daily exceptions and escalations, investigating root causes and sharing knowledge.

Skills

Data-driven analysis

Collaborating on projects

Influencing suppliers

Trading team experience

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).

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

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 occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications, and therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application please contact us as soon as possible. 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. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.