Associate Director Planning

ZALORA Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading e-commerce fashion platform is seeking an Associate Director of Planning in Kuala Lumpur. This pivotal role involves overseeing the end-to-end planning for retail and marketplace businesses, focusing on forecasting, inventory management, and revenue optimization. The successful candidate will need to have over 10 years' experience in planning roles, including at least 5 years in leadership. Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills are essential. This position offers a dynamic environment where strategic planning meets operational excellence.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in planning, merchandising, or commercial roles within e-commerce or retail.
• At least 5 years in a leadership capacity.
• Proven track record of leading high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead planning strategy across retail and marketplace.
• Lead and mentor the Planning team.
• Drive scenario planning and risk management.

Skills

Analytical skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Google Sheets

Looker

SQL

Job description

Overview

Associate Director, Planning is responsible for leading and orchestrating the end-to-end planning function for ZALORA’s retail and marketplace businesses across all categories and brands. Reporting to the Commercial Director, this role will own the forecasting, inventory, inbounds, sell-through, revenue, and gross margin, ensuring alignment with business objectives and operational excellence. This role is pivotal to the commercial operations and financial success of ZALORA.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and lead the planning strategy across retail and marketplace, aligning sales, margin, stock health with the customer’s needs
• Lead, mentor and develop the Planning team, fostering a high-performance culture with a continuous improvement mindset
• Drive scenario planning and risk management to enable agile decision-making across dynamic markets
• Champion best practices and uniformity across planning processes
• Own the centralised WSSI & obsessively monitor our KPIs & drive consistent corrective or opportunistic action
• Manage OTB, intake and stock strategies for retail; develop partner stock frameworks for marketplace
• Validate OTB with Buying teams, ensuring the right breadth and depth of assortment through an aligned options plan
• Deliver markdown, clearance and replenishment strategies to protect margin and optimise stock health
• Standardise and enhance dashboards and reporting tools across commercial teams, ensuring a unified, actionable view of performance
• Collaborate with Technology, Data Science and BI teams to automate WSSI, reporting and planning processes — moving towards a single source of truth
• Implement advanced forecasting models (e.g. machine learning, predictive analytics) to improve buy quantities, assortment planning and replenishment accuracy
• Provide leadership with data-driven insights on performance, risks and opportunities

Marketplace Planning

• Manage the marketplace forecasting, by delivering partner stock & trading targets
• Influence partner trading behaviours to align with platform goals for availability, competitiveness and sell-through

Operational Excellence

• Partner cross-functionally (Buying, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Marketplace, Finance) to ensure plan execution
• Drive continuous process improvement for efficiency, responsiveness and stock management discipline

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in planning, merchandising, or commercial roles within e-commerce or retail, with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity.
• Proven track record of leading and developing high-performing teams in a fast-paced, data-driven environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and translate insights into actionable strategies.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Google Slides, Looker, and SQL; experience with planning and BI tools is highly desirable.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across functions and seniority levels.
• Results-oriented mindset with a passion for driving business growth and operational excellence.

Good to have

• Experience in both retail and marketplace planning environments
• Experience managing planning across multiple countries or diverse markets

The Zalora Story

ZALORA is Asia’s leading online fashion, beauty and lifestyle destination, part of Global Fashion Group. As one of the region’s pioneer large scale e-commerce platforms, ZALORA has established a strong presence throughout the region, particularly in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Hong Kong, enjoying over 50 million visits per month.

ZALORA is not obligated to accept resumes from any third parties on behalf of potential candidates for any position (advertised or otherwise) by any means, unless ZALORA has executed a written agreement with such third party and has expressly requested such third party for candidate referrals. Third parties who provide unsolicited resumes of candidate(s) shall waive and forfeit all rights to claim for any placement fees or referral fees in the event that such candidate is eventually engaged or employed by ZALORA or Global Fashion Group