Planning Manager Mr Price

Job Description

• The Planning Manager leads and inspires their Merchandise and Location Planning team to drive portfolio growth by delivering the right plans, ensuring the right products are in the right stores to meet our customer needs in a fast-paced fashion environment

Responsibilities
Team Leadership

• Set clear goals and direction aligned to portfolio priorities, as well as gender and overall company strategy.
• Drive a strong focus on future portfolio vision while continuously optimising current trade performance.
• Ensure role clarity and clear accountability for tasks and key areas of ownership within the team.
• Provide ongoing guidance and performance feedback at both individual and team level to support development.
• Promote accountability through effective delegation, tailored to individual competence and experience levels.
• Streamline processes to improve time management, proactive planning, and team efficiency.
• Foster a disciplined, responsive, and collaborative team culture with a passion for fashion retail.
• Stay up to date with training materials and reinforce learning to support on-the-job performance of team members.

Current Trade

• Provide guidance, support, and oversight to planners on weekly trade activities, including action plans, marketing, and resourcing timeline
• Compile and communicate current trade reports for senior leadership, as well as monthly strategic summaries for board reporting.
• Analyse market share data (e.g. RLC) monthly, track performance against growth targets, and initiate proactive interventions where needed.
• Review financial plans and replenishment forecasts, providing timely guidance on required actions.
• Adjust top-line financial plans based on current trade to support delivery of detailed merchandise and location plans.
• Review KPIs monthly with the Planning Director to track performance against approved targets.
• acilitate competitor shops and store visits, ensuring insights inform effective trading actions

Postmortem & Strategy

• Set and drive future portfolio planning and vision, informed by historical performance and aligned to gender and overall company strategy.
• Monitor competitor merchandise strategies and assess their impact on the business.
• Conduct in-depth portfolio performance analysis and compile post-mortem reports highlighting key insights, learnings, and business implications.
• Present post-mortem findings to senior leadership, identifying gaps and opportunities for growth.
• Finalise subcategories with Buying and Brand Merchants, and develop strategic objectives aligned with Planning and Trend, as well as company strategy.
• Develop top-line financial plans at portfolio and sub-department level, reflecting growth opportunities, strategic priorities, and new store expansion.
• Consolidate key planning inputs (PMO, assortment width and depth, pricing, research, and ratios) to ensure accurate category investment, productivity, and profitability.
• Collaborate with Buying to produce a portfolio strategy summary, incorporating input from Trend, Marketing, VM, and Resource teams.
• Present the portfolio strategy to senior leadership with clear rationale, supported by market insights, product direction, and key KPIs.

Building an Assortment

• Coordinate and manage assortment planning in line with review timelines, key calendar dates, and turnaround requirements.
• Review assortment plans with Buying and Trend teams to ensure alignment with strategic objectives, trade performance, and consistent subcategory flow.
• Finalise review documents (PMO plan and assortment sheets) and communicate any shifts in product strategy, assortment shape, or key attributes.
• Adjust top-line financial plans based on assortment strategy to enable delivery of detailed merchandise and location plans.
• Prepare and present review materials to senior leadership, ensuring alignment with seasonal strategy, financial plans, and in-store execution, and incorporate feedback.                                                                                                          

Qualifications

•  A completed commerce-related Degree or Diploma
• 5–7 years’ experience as a Planning Manager or Senior Planner within a similar retail environment
• Deep functional expertise in location and merchandise planning
• Advanced proficiency of Excel
• Strong leadership capability with a proven track record of growing, mentoring, and successfully developing team members
• Proven track record of successfully delivering on strategic objectives
• Strong organizational and planning skills
• Excellent communication abilities
• Strong administrative skills
• Cross-collaborative team player