Associate Director Planning

ZALORA Group; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fashion e-commerce company in Kuala Lumpur is looking for an Associate Director, Planning. This role involves strategizing planning functions for retail and marketplace businesses, mentoring a high-performance team, and driving operational excellence. Candidates should have over 10 years of relevant experience and strong analytical skills. The position offers a dynamic environment focused on growth and efficiency.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in planning or commercial roles within e-commerce or retail.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data and provide insights.
• Proven track record in team leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead planning strategy across retail and marketplace.
• Manage forecasting and stock strategies for marketplace.
• Drive continuous improvement for efficiency and responsiveness.

Skills

Analytical skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

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

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Google Sheets

SQL

Looker

Job description

Who We Are

ZALORA exists for the millions of fashion consumers in Asia seeking a shopping experience focused on their unique styles, trends and fit. As Asia’s leading online fashion destination, ZALORA was founded in 2012 and has a presence in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia & Brunei, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan. ZALORA’s localised sites offer an extensive collection of top international and local brands as well as our own in‑house labels across apparel, shoes and accessories for men and women. ZALORA is part of Global Fashion Group, the world’s leader in online fashion for emerging markets.

More About ZALORA Group

Employing more than 2,000 people in 10 markets across Asia Pacific, ZALORA Group provides style enthusiasts the access to the best global fashion and beauty brands alongside local fashion brands and designers as well as our eponymous private label collection for men and women – ZALORA.

We are a team of fashion enthusiasts, customer service stars, marketing whiz and analytics experts guided by top‑notch consultants and ZALORA is looking for you to join us and be part of this online revolution!

Associate Director, Planning

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, inbound, 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:

• 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.
• Exceptional 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.