Promotions Planner

Clicks Group Limited; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Clicks Group seeks a Demand Promotional Planning professional in Cape Town to drive accurate promotional forecasts, align demand with merchandise plans, and optimize working capital.

The role partners with Merchandising, Demand Planning, and Supply Planning to balance customer demand with business objectives, improve stock efficiency, and support SIOP processes.

Qualifications

• Strong data analysis and statistical modeling skills.
• Deep analytical capability; ability to forecast trends.
• Understanding of customer behavior, market trends, competition, and market share.
• End-to-end understanding of promotional planning cycle, product lifecycle, and supply chain optimization.
• Demand planning principles and forecasting models.
• Financial planning models and methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Deliver accurate demand forecasts - SME for promotional forecasting within the allocated portfolio.
• Develop, review, and improve promotional demand forecasts to support business targets.
• Analyse promotional performance and recommend forecast changes to merchandising teams.
• Capture and maintain accurate forecast adjustments daily.
• Conduct post-promotion analysis to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with Supply Planning to ensure optimized inventory levels for promotional activity.
• Monitor inventory flow and future projections to support open-to-buy management.
• Support stock efficiency and working capital optimization through accurate promotional forecasting.
• Identify risks and opportunities early by highlighting gaps and recommending corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Category Managers to improve promotional planning and forecasting outcomes.
• Contribute to category SIOP meetings by reviewing upcoming promotions, supplier lead times, and future risks/opportunities.
• Ensure alignment to critical path deadlines impacting forecasting within the portfolio.
• Support the Demand Planning team in achieving total forecasting accuracy targets through weekly and monthly reviews.
• Use analytics, performance tracking (forecast accuracy, bias), and feedback loops to refine demand planning processes and tools.
• Generate promotional forecasting reports and performance insights.
• Provide clear, data-driven recommendations to support decision-making.

Skills

Forecasting

Demand planning

SIOP process

Data analytics

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Retail knowledge

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Decision Science, Business, or related field

Retail Business Management

Equivalent relevant experience will be considered

Tools

MS Office

Excel

Forecasting software

Job description

To drive promotional and statistical forecasting accuracy across an allocated portfolio by partnering closely with Merchandising, Demand Planning, and Supply Planning teams. The role ensures promotional demand is aligned to merchandise plans, improves stock efficiency, and optimizes working capital through disciplined, insight-driven forecasting. This role provides strategic direction to the business by developing accurate, forward-looking demand promotional forecasts that balance customer demand with company objectives. As a core enabler of the S&OP process, Demand Promotional Planning influences top-line growth, profitability, inventory optimization, and long-term capacity decisions. By anticipating demand patterns, identifying risks and opportunities, and constructively challenging assumptions, the role ensures the business delivers the right product, in the right place, at the right time, maximizing sales and customer satisfaction while minimizing cost, waste, and excess inventory.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Promotional Forecasting & Demand Planning

• Deliver accurate demand forecasts - Act as the subject matter expert (SME) for promotional forecasting accuracy within the allocated portfolio.
• Develop, review, and continuously improve promotional demand forecasts to support business targets.
• Analyse promotional performance and recommend forecast volume changes to merchandising teams.
• Capture and maintain accurate forecast adjustments on a daily basis.
• Conduct post-promotion analysis to identify trends, insights, and opportunities for improvement.

Inventory & Supply Collaboration

• Partner with Supply Planning to ensure optimized inventory levels, focusing on promotional activity.
• Monitor inventory flow and future projections to support open-to-buy management.
• Support stock efficiency and working capital optimization through accurate promotional forecasting.
• Identify risks and opportunities early by proactively highlight gaps to plan and recommend corrective actions to mitigate risks or capture upside potential.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Category Managers to improve promotional planning and forecasting outcomes.
• Contribute to category SIOP meetings by reviewing upcoming promotions, supplier lead times, and future risks/opportunities.
• Ensure alignment to critical path deadlines impacting promotional forecasting within the portfolio.
• Support the Demand Planning team in achieving total forecasting accuracy targets through weekly and monthly reviews.
• Support continuous improvement. Use analytics, performance tracking (e.g., forecast accuracy, bias), and feedback loops to refine demand planning processes and tools.

Reporting & Analysis

• Generate promotional forecasting reports and performance insights.
• Provide clear, data-driven recommendations to support decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

Promotional Forecasting & Demand Planning

• Deliver accurate demand forecasts - Act as the subject matter expert (SME) for promotional forecasting accuracy within the allocated portfolio.
• Develop, review, and continuously improve promotional demand forecasts to support business targets.
• Analyse promotional performance and recommend forecast volume changes to merchandising teams.
• Capture and maintain accurate forecast adjustments on a daily basis.
• Conduct post-promotion analysis to identify trends, insights, and opportunities for improvement.

Inventory & Supply Collaboration

• Partner with Supply Planning to ensure optimized inventory levels, focusing on promotional activity.
• Monitor inventory flow and future projections to support open-to-buy management.
• Support stock efficiency and working capital optimization through accurate promotional forecasting.
• Identify risks and opportunities early by proactively highlight gaps to plan and recommend corrective actions to mitigate risks or capture upside potential.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Category Managers to improve promotional planning and forecasting outcomes.
• Contribute to category SIOP meetings by reviewing upcoming promotions, supplier lead times, and future risks/opportunities.
• Ensure alignment to critical path deadlines impacting promotional forecasting within the portfolio.
• Support the Demand Planning team in achieving total forecasting accuracy targets through weekly and monthly reviews.
• Support continuous improvement. Use analytics, performance tracking (e.g., forecast accuracy, bias), and feedback loops to refine demand planning processes and tools.

Reporting & Analysis

• Generate promotional forecasting reports and performance insights.
• Provide clear, data-driven recommendations to support decision-making.

Ensure concepts, forecasts, and plans are aligned to agreed budgets and targets

• Supply Chain Fundamentals - FMCG, Supply Chain, and Logistics environment
• Strong data analysis and statistical modeling skills
• Deep analytical capability
• Understanding of customer behavior, market trends, competition, and market share
• End-to-end understanding of the promotional planning cycle, product lifecycle, and supply chain optimization
• Demand planning principles and forecasting models
• Financial planning models and methodologies
• Ability to understand and fine-tune forecasting algorithms

Additional Knowledge:

• Demand forecasting and replenishment experience
• Strong statistical reasoning and problem-solving ability
• Knowledge of forecasting algorithms

Job Related Skills:

• Strong analytical and numerate skills
• Well-structured, organized, and detail-oriented
• Confident presenter with the ability to persuade and influence
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong business and financial acumen
• Ability to forecast consumer trends 9-24 months ahead
• Complex decision-making based on data, trends, and opinions
• Advanced MS Office proficiency (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)
• Retail mathematical calculations (e.g. stock turn, margin, variance analysis)
• Strong negotiation and stakeholder-management skills

Education:

• Retail Business Management
• Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Decision Science, Business, or a related field
• Equivalent relevant experience will be considered