Career Opportunity
Merchandise Planning Manager
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Company Description
At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
Position Overview
As Planning manager you will lead a Merchandising Planning team, overseeing a key Brand, and helping to find opportunities for growth. You will need to build close and store relationships with key partners within the business to help to capitalise on the future opportunities. A key part of the role is to coach and develop your team into the future leader of the business.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Operation/Financial
- Leads the department trading actions, aligning the team forecast with the overarching business financial plans
- Proactively assesses channel performance and leads decisions on stock optimisation
- Clearly sets out a line card process and ensures all stakeholders are clear on both the strategy and the performance
- An expert in the WSSI, quickly spotting trends and communicating risks and opportunities to senior managers.
- Understands how to translate long term sales plans into actionable department strategies for all KPIs
- Oversees inventory management and works cross-functionally, to provide solutions to reach end of season stock targets and average cost turn, communicating KPI impacts to senior leads
- Oversees hindsight assessment to formulate the financial building blocks required for strategy planning.
- Partners & influences buying counterparts to formulate the department forward price strategy, and able to critically assess the risks and opps associated, whilst providing sound solutions
- Oversees OTB process, influencing buying counterparts to meet department KPI's through optimising buying strategies and OTB management, demonstrating flexibility in approach to maximise opportunities
- Works efficiently & sets department priorities
Commercial Awareness
- Utilises knowledge of brand positioning and market analysis to help shape future strategies
- Oversees regular store visits and competitor reviews.
Team Development
- To adopt a positive and proactive approach to their own training and development as well as that of their peers.
- Influences & collaborates with key stakeholders on cross-functional projects & process improvement
- Coaches and trains team, helping them to acquire the skills & knowledge to be more effective.
- Regularly reviews team progress towards achieving goals
- Participates in company initiatives as appropriate.
- Empowers team wellness & prioritises team psychological safety.
- Feels confident leading a team and can clearly delegate tasks.
Communications & Partnerships
- Creates and maintains strong working relationships within key stakeholders.
- Collaborates and informs stakeholders on strategies & business goals.
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
· Strong analytical mindset and experienced in using planning and forecasting tools and systems
· Effective communicator - able to communicate messages clearly and concisely to a variety of audiences
· Able to work autonomously, results orientated and able to 'think outside the box'
· Able to demonstrate logical analysis and problem-solving skills.
· Solution orientated with an entrepreneurial attitude
· Able to organize, prioritise tasks and manages time well to meet deadlines.
· Can confidently and respectfully challenge others opinions
· Demonstrates self-Awareness of their impact on others & seeks feedback on ways to improve.
· Able to build and maintain productive relationships within a team environment.
· An expert in using Microsoft excel and BI reporting tools.
· Able to demonstrate resilience and remain positive during challenging periods.
· Attention to detail.
· Regularly recognises & praises good work.
· Leads by example & shows desire to mentor junior members.
· Desire to have fun at work and an appreciation for product
