Strategic EMEA Commercial Planning Director

New Balance; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary Bonus Opportunity

Discount on health insurance

Flexible Working Hours

Pension Scheme

25 days Annual Leave per year

On-site Gym

Employee Discount

Job summary

New Balance is seeking a Commercial Planning Director EMEA to build and lead the planning engine across Europe, Middle East and Africa. This defining leadership role combines strategic vision, commercial rigor and transformational capability to drive scalable growth.

Sitting at the intersection of Sales, Category and Finance, you will develop a high-performing team, establish pan-EMEA standards and partner with markets to convert data-driven insights into action.

Qualifications

• Experience in Sales Planning within sports, footwear or fashion/FMCG with significant EMEA or multi-market scope.
• A process-oriented approach to managing commercial performance with deep understanding of sell-in/sell-through dynamics and KPIs.
• Strong industry knowledge of sporting goods and lifestyle retail; passion for the New Balance brand.
• Proven capability to develop talent and build high-performing cross-cultural teams.
• Analytical capability to design planning systems, tools and forecasting methodologies at scale.
• Willingness to travel across EMEA as required (approximately 15%).

Responsibilities

• Lead the EMEA Commercial Planning function — centre of excellence and competitive advantage.
• Develop a high-performing team of Sales, Category & Business Planners across markets and channels.
• Define the EMEA planning operating model with governance and cadence, ensuring accountability clarity.
• Serve on the EMEA Commercial Leadership Team and drive strategic direction.
• Build a culture of accountability, enterprise thinking and continuous improvement.
• Lead end-to-end pre-season planning for the full New Balance EMEA portfolio across sales channels.

Skills

Sales Planning

Commercial Operations

Business Planning

EMEA multi-market

Leadership

Data-driven

Forecasting

Education

Degree educated

Job description

New Balance is seeking a Commercial Planning Director EMEA to build and lead the planning engine across Europe, Middle East and Africa. This defining leadership role combines strategic vision, commercial rigor and transformational capability to drive scalable growth.

Sitting at the intersection of Sales, Category and Finance, you will develop a high-performing team, establish pan-EMEA standards and partner with markets to convert data-driven insights into action.