Senior Demand Planner & Buyer - Apparel & Ecommerce

Thrivin; Wakefield; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrivin, a fast-growing global activewear brand, is seeking an experienced Demand Planner & Buyer to own demand planning, purchasing and inventory across the business.

This is a highly hands-on role, responsible for forecasting, open-to-buy management, PO placement, replenishment and stock optimisations, collaborating with product, operations and commercial teams to drive smart growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience within apparel planning, merchandising, buying or a closely related field, ideally within a high-volume ecommerce or retail environment.
• Experience owning an open-to-buy and making commercial buying decisions.
• Hands-on experience creating and placing purchase orders.
• Strong understanding of planning fundamentals: weeks of cover, sell-through, size curves, in-stock rate, gross margin, discount rate.
• Experience with proforma invoices, MOQs, lead times and supplier follow-ups.
• High proficiency in Excel and working with large datasets.
• Experience in high-growth DTC, ecommerce, fashion or activewear business is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Own the open-to-buy by category, including sales forecasts, receipt plans and monthly plan vs. actual performance.
• Run the bi-weekly replenishment cycle end-to-end from demand analysis to PO submission.
• Determine newness buy quantities at style, colour and size level to meet launches and targets.
• Own the full purchase order lifecycle: PO creation, amendments, invoicing, ETA tracking and supplier follow-ups.
• Maintain stock health with focus on size availability and in-stock rates.
• Identify risks, shortages and excess inventory proactively.
• Lead markdowns and overstock actions to optimise sell-through.
• Analyse weeks of cover, sell-through, size curves, gross margin and stock health.

Skills

Ownership of planning

Excel proficiency

Claude Code / Claude Cowork

Data analysis

Ecommerce fashion domain

Tools

Claude Code / Claude Cowork

Job description

Thrivin, a fast-growing global activewear brand, is seeking an experienced Demand Planner & Buyer to own demand planning, purchasing and inventory across the business.

This is a highly hands-on role, responsible for forecasting, open-to-buy management, PO placement, replenishment and stock optimisations, collaborating with product, operations and commercial teams to drive smart growth.