Senior Merchandise Planning Manager

*No Agencies Please*

Office based - 3 days per week - Harwell, Oxford

Job Details:

This is a leadership role to build team and processes across the planning department to best serve the business with the right stock at the right time and in the optimum quantity.  You will improve existing ways of working and introduce new to position the company for current and future growth.

This is a pivotal role responsible for growing sales through excellent availability and minimise risk of overbuys and exposure to end of line, working within targets and KPIs proposed to and agreed with the Senior Operations and Product Director.

You will be the lead role in the department and work closely with US teams and internal product, sales, ecom and supply chain to improve processes, visibility, stock flow pro-actively providing actionable sales and stock insight into the business to allow timely trading decisions to optimise stock holding.

Day to Day Responsibilities:

Planning and Forecasting

• Drive team to maintain forecast within range plan to best reflect demand and opportunity across all our sales channels, including wholesale, .com, marketplace and events
• Propose and agree sales and stock targets by department and sub-category
• Drive excellent availability across core and seasonal line within agreed KPIs
• Work with Product to drive growth across category
• Manage the purchasing critical path with involvement and interaction with our parent Ariat International to ensure all key dates hit
• Ensure all POs are loaded in a timely manner
• SAP set up, management and improvement

Trading

• Create regular reporting to provide insight to the business
• Liaise with Supply Chain Manager to ensure goods brought in timely manner
• Liaise with Stock Co-ordinator to ensure best use of stock across business
• Report on availability levels by channel
• Manage and propose mark down pricing

Other

• Progress own development, maximising opportunities to develop leadership skills and team standing within the company both UK and US
• Build and drive appropriate relationships with appropriate US planning partners and other departments
• Act as ambassador for the AE team and build relationships with US team as appropriate to further key accountabilities.
• To assist in ad-hoc projects as required.

About You:

• Proven leadership and change management skills
• Strong Excel and Microsoft office
• Use of SAP
• Experience manipulating large data sets
• Exceptional Organisational and time management skills
• Strong ability to multitask and prioritise
• Strong Teamwork
• Analytical and Presentation skills
• Customer Service skills
• 5+ years Planning experience in similar environment
• Experience in wholesale, retail and ecommerce
• Experience in Footwear or Apparel
• Experience of consumer fashion products
• Numerate and commercially astute
• Articulate communicator
• Ability to travel freely to the US as this role may be required to attend sales meetings every two years in the US.

Values:

Our values are ingrained in everything we do at Ariat and we believe this is what drives our success as individuals, as teams and, overall, as a Company.

Innovation - Be bold and adventurous and try new things. Constantly challenge how you can create change for the better. Learn from the past and don’t let it limit you.

Integrity - Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Say what you mean and do what you say. Build trust through consistency, dependability and honesty.

Quality - All work matters. Be proud of your work and strive to have it reflect your best and the best of Ariat.

Respect - Communicate openly, directly and constructively. Recognise different perspectives and listen with an open mind. Be thoughtful in how you show up and interact with others.

Teamwork - Create fun and joy and contribute to the Ariat family spirit. Focus on people’s strengths. Learn from others and share your own knowledge and experience. Ask for help when you need it and offer to help when others may need it.

Benefits:

• Private Medical Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Critical Illness Cover
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Health & Wellbeing Points Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Company Bonus Scheme
• Employee Purchase Scheme
• Holiday Purchase Scheme
• Employee Referral Programme
• Birthday day off
• Bring your dog to work scheme
• Employee Volunteering policy
• Working from a different location policy
• Free onsite Parking including 2 electric charging points