Merchandise Planning Assistant / Specialist

📣 We're Hiring: Merchandise Planning Assistant / Specialist📍 Location: United Arab Emirates (UAE) 🕒 Employment Type: Full-Time 💼 Level: Assistant / Specialist🌐 About UsWe are seeking an analytical, commercially minded, and detail-oriented Merchandise Planning Assistant / Specialist to support the planning and optimization of merchandise across our retail channels.The role works closely with Merchandising, Category Management, Assortment Planning, Buying, Procurement, Demand Planning, Inventory Planning, Supply Chain, Retail Operations, Store Management, E-commerce, Finance, and Marketing to ensure the right products are available in the right quantities, locations, channels, and periods.The successful candidate will use sales, inventory, demand, margin, assortment, and market data to support decisions that improve sales, profitability, inventory productivity, availability, and customer satisfaction.🎯 The RoleThe Merchandise Planning Assistant / Specialist supports the end-to-end merchandise-planning cycle, from historical analysis and sales forecasting through assortment planning, inventory planning, in-season trading, replenishment, markdowns, and end-of-season management.At Assistant level, the role focuses on data preparation, reporting, planning administration, sales analysis, inventory tracking, and forecast support.At Specialist level, the role takes greater ownership of sales and stock plans, open-to-buy analysis, allocation recommendations, in-season trading, markdown analysis, forecast adjustments, and commercial performance management.🚀 What You'll DoMerchandise PlanningSupport merchandise plans by:CategoryDepartmentBrandStoreChannelProductTranslate commercial targets into detailed merchandise plansMaintain planning calendars and key deadlinesMonitor actual performance against approved plansAnnual & Seasonal PlanningSupport:Annual merchandise planningSeasonal planningMonthly planningWeekly trading plansNew-season launchesEnd-of-season planningConsider:Historical performanceSales targetsCustomer demandSeasonalityInventoryMarginPromotional activityProduct lifecycle📊 Sales PlanningAnalyze:RevenueUnitsAverage selling priceGross marginGross-margin percentageSales growthSell-throughSales by SKUSales by categorySales by storeSales by channelSales ForecastingBuild and maintain sales forecastsUse:Historical salesSeasonalityTrendsPromotionsNew-product assumptionsStore performanceChannel demandForecast AccuracyCompare forecast against actual resultsIdentify significant variancesInvestigate causesRecommend forecast adjustments📦 Stock & Inventory PlanningStock PlanningDetermine appropriate inventory requirements based on:Expected salesStock coverLead timesMinimum order quantitiesReplenishment cyclesSafety stockSeasonal demandInventory MonitoringTrack:Stock on handStock on orderStock in transitStock coverInventory turnsSell-throughAged inventoryExcess inventorySlow-moving inventoryStock RisksIdentify:Potential stockoutsExcess inventoryUnderstockOverstockSupply constraintsInventory imbalances💰 Open-to-Buy ManagementAt Specialist level, support or manage Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning.Monitor:Planned salesActual salesPlanned markdownsActual markdownsBeginning inventoryEnding inventoryOn-order inventoryPurchase commitmentsAvailable buying budgetOTB AnalysisIdentify available purchasing capacityHighlight over- or under-buying risksSupport buying decisionsRecommend adjustments to purchase plans🛒 Assortment PlanningWork closely with Assortment Planning and Category Management to determine:SKU countAssortment breadthAssortment depthCore productsSeasonal productsNew productsPromotional productsAssortment PerformanceAnalyze:Sales per SKUMargin per SKUSell-throughStock productivityAvailabilitySKU RationalizationSupport decisions to:ExpandMaintainReduceReplaceDelistproducts based on commercial and inventory performance.🏪 Store & Channel PlanningAnalyze merchandise requirements by:StoreStore clusterRegionStore formatChannelStore ClusteringSupport merchandise planning based on differences in:Customer demographicsStore sizeSales profileLocal demandProduct mixShopping behaviorChannel PlanningSupport planning across:Physical storesE-commerceMobile commerceMarketplace channelsClick-and-collectOmnichannel fulfillment📍 Allocation & DistributionInitial AllocationSupport allocation of new merchandise based on:Store capacityHistorical salesCustomer demandStore clustersProduct characteristicsExpected sell-throughReallocationIdentify opportunities to move inventory between:StoresDistribution centersChannelsto improve availability and reduce excess stock.Allocation PerformanceMonitor:Allocation accuracySell-throughStore availabilityStock imbalanceTransfer requirements🔄 In-Season TradingWeekly TradingMonitor actual performance against plan and identify:Sales opportunitiesUnderperformanceStock risksMargin risksPromotional opportunitiesTrading ActionsSupport decisions involving:ReplenishmentReallocationAdditional ordersMarkdownPromotional activityAssortment changesException ManagementHighlight products or stores requiring immediate attention.📈 Sell-Through ManagementTrack sell-through by:SKUCategoryBrandStoreChannelSeasonIdentify:Fast sellersSlow sellersUnderperforming productsProducts requiring additional inventoryProducts requiring markdown support🏷️ Markdown PlanningMarkdown AnalysisAnalyze products approaching:End of seasonProduct lifecycle exitExcess inventorySlow-moving statusMarkdown RecommendationsSupport decisions based on:Remaining inventoryHistorical sell-throughSales velocityMarginSeasonalityRemaining selling periodMarkdown EffectivenessEvaluate:Sales upliftInventory reductionMargin impactSell-through improvement🧭 Merchandise Planning ScopeThe role may cover:Merchandise planningAnnual planningSeasonal planningSales planningSales forecastingInventory planningStock planningOpen-to-BuyAssortment planningSKU rationalizationStore planningChannel planningStore clusteringAllocationReallocationIn-season tradingSell-through managementMarkdown planningNew-product planningProduct lifecycle planningSeasonal planningInventory productivityGMROIMargin analysisE-commerce planningOmnichannel inventoryBuying supportSupply-chain coordinationProduct data managementReportingDashboardsKPI managementExcel analyticsBusiness intelligenceStakeholder managementProcess improvementAutomationAdvanced analytics📊 Key Performance AreasPerformance may be measured against:Sales-plan achievementForecast accuracyGross-margin performanceInventory-turn improvementSell-throughStock availabilityStockout reductionExcess-inventory reductionOTB accuracyOTB utilizationAllocation effectivenessReallocation effectivenessMarkdown optimizationGMROIInventory productivityNew-product performanceSeasonal-plan performanceReporting accuracyData qualityPlanning-cycle completionProcess-efficiency improvements🇦🇪 UAE EnvironmentThe successful candidate should be comfortable working within the UAE retail environment, where merchandise planning must account for diverse customer segments, multiple store formats, seasonal demand, promotional calendars, and omnichannel shopping behavior.Experience across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and other UAE markets is highly desirable.Experience in fashion, FMCG, grocery, beauty, electronics, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, luxury, home & living, specialty retail, consumer goods, e-commerce, or omnichannel retail is an advantage.Knowledge of UAE/GCC retail seasonality, Ramadan and Eid demand patterns, local consumer behavior, import lead times, and regional supply-chain dynamics is beneficial.💼 Preferred Industry ExperienceExperience in one or more of the following is advantageous:FashionApparelFootwearAccessoriesBeautyLuxuryFMCGGroceryElectronicsHome & LivingGeneral MerchandiseHealthcarePharmaceuticalsSpecialty RetailE-commerceOmnichannel Retail✅ What We're Looking ForDiploma or bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Retail Management, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Economics, Finance, Statistics, Data Analytics, or a related field2–6+ years of relevant experience in merchandise planning, merchandise analysis, assortment planning, category management, buying, retail planning, inventory planning, or commercial analysisStrong analytical and numerical skillsStrong Microsoft Excel capabilityGood understanding of retail merchandise planningCommercial awarenessUnderstanding of sales, stock, margin, and inventory relationshipsStrong attention to detailAbility to analyze large datasetsGood communication and presentation skillsAbility to work under deadlines and manage multiple prioritiesUAE/GCC retail experience is highly desirable🌟 Preferred QualificationsBachelor's or Master's degree in a relevant fieldMerchandise-planning qualificationRetail-management qualificationAdvanced Excel certificationPower BI experienceSQL experienceForecasting experienceOTB experienceAllocation experienceMarkdown-planning experienceMerchandise-planning-system experienceERP experienceE-commerce planning experienceOmnichannel retail experienceExperience with large-scale retail businessesFluency in English is required; Arabic is an advantage🌟 What We OfferFull-time position based in the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪Competitive salaryPerformance incentives where applicableProfessional development in merchandise planning and retail analyticsExposure to Merchandising, Category Management, Assortment Planning, Buying, Procurement, Demand Planning, Inventory Planning, Supply Chain, and Retail OperationsOpportunities to work with advanced merchandise-planning and business-intelligence systemsCareer progression toward Senior Merchandise Planning Specialist, Merchandise Planning Manager, Senior Merchandise Planner, Category Manager, Assortment Planning Manager, or Retail Planning ManagerMulticultural working environmentComprehensive benefits package