Head of Planning

Mr Price; Durban; On-site; ZAR 600 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail company in South Africa seeks an experienced Planning Manager to lead strategic initiatives and optimize business growth. The ideal candidate will have 8-10 years of experience, including 5 years in a senior role, with exceptional leadership and communication skills. This role involves strategic planning, financial analysis, and team management to meet target KPIs. Candidates should possess a strong fashion sense and an ability to drive innovative changes in a competitive market.

Qualifications

• 8 - 10 years’ experience including 5 years in a senior management position.
• Ability to innovate change through visionary thinking.
• Exceptional communication and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and execute planning strategies to achieve targeted KPIs.
• Direct seasonal financial planning to maximize profit opportunities.
• Oversee balanced assortment planning aligned to seasonal strategies.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic management

Analytical skills

Communication

Negotiation

Job description

Through constant innovation, your core responsibility would be to lead the Planning function by developing and overseeing the execution of planning strategies, data analytics, and system and process improvements.

Strategy

Lead the development and execution of planning (product and location) strategies (short and long term) to achieve targeted KPI's in line with strategic business objectives.

Contribute to the development and adjustment of business, product and resource strategies by providing direction & guidance on maximizing profits whilst optimizing stock.

Accountable for the delivery of adequately thought through post seasonal analysis to support the forwards strategy.
Identify product extension opportunities that have scale and profit opportunities aligned to the overall product offering and target customer

Forecast future market sales relative to our own growth strategies to identify market share opportunities

Business Growth & Profitability

Direct the development of seasonal financial plans that ensures the balance between value, pricing, margin requirements and markdown management to maximize profit opportunities whilst mitigating risks.

Lead in-season business reviews and reaction processes to ensure that trading is executed effectively.

Drive the evaluation, enhancement and development of planning/merchandise systems and procedures to achieve current and future business imperatives.

Own the process of annual budget creation ensuring aligned to annual strats and followed through into the merchandise process

Product Review

Lead & oversee balanced assortment planning (aligned to seasonal strategies) across categories & attributes to meet sales plans & targets across product and location hierarchies. This includes width & depth planning aligned to store profiles.

Analysis & Reporting

Lead the development and improvement of performance analysis & reporting (with regards to purchase planning, stock ratios to understand & project merchandise sales, margin & expense performance.

Accountable for ensuring the execution of the product assortment is in line with approved strategies.

Oversee the financial accuracy of sales forecasts/plans (across brands & departments), accounting of historic missed opportunities and future trend changes (across products, stores, channels & countries) to provide direction; achieve sales targets and compile board reports.

Stock Management

Direct stock planning, allocation, replenishment & control processes to:

• Ensure alignment to planned sales levels,
• Account for store requirements & developments,
• Maximize distribution / supplier efficiencies and
• Prevent overstock, stock ageing, markdowns & the financial impact of stock depreciation.

Leadership & Team Management

Lead and drive the team by setting clear direction and transparent expectations, to exhibit the culture and values of the business and achieve / exceed KPIs.

Identify and drive succession planning, structure, talent management, training and development requirements to ensure teams are competent and skilled to perform their required functions.

• 8 - 10 years’ experience including 5 years in a senior management position, having a strong fashion sense and awareness of the competitive landscape
• Ability to innovate change through visionary thinking and strategic management
• An extraordinary leader of people, experienced in leading high performing teams through passion to continuously develop talent at all levels
• Exceptional communication, influencing and negotiating skills
• High intelligence with a true entrepreneurial risk mentality
• A charismatic, extremely confident (but humble) professional who is poised and has a great sense of enthusiasm enabling them to develop extraordinary relationships within the business while at the same time able to make tough decisions
• A strong sense of approachability and humility
• Strategic thinker that enables organizational agility