Senior Planning Manager

Dufry•Hudson, OH

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Planning Manager is responsible for leading demand, inventory, and financial planning across multiple merchandise categories to optimize sales, margin, and working capital performance. This role establishes forecasting and Open-to-Buy strategies, provides governance over planning processes, and serves as a key partner to Category Management, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations.

Requirements

The combination of education and professional experience must exceed 6 years
Requires 2+years of experience supervising a team of planning professionals
Requires 6-8 years of retail experience engaged in developing and delivering planning programs
A bachelor’s degree in a program related to the functional area can count for 3 of the 6-year requirement
3-5 years of Retail experience
Strong financial and business acumen with the ability to influence sales, margin, inventory, and profitability outcomes
Advanced knowledge of merchandise planning, Open-to-Buy (OTB), demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and working capital management
Advanced knowledge of forecasting & replenishment systems, inventory planning methodologies, and replenishment parameters
Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to translate complex data into actionable business insights
Business acumen and also has the mindset required to understand the long-term implications of planning and to advance the organization’s goals
Demonstrated history of understanding the needs of the business, stakeholders, the employee population and individual circumstances
Demonstrated history of creating and maintaining positive work environments through coaching, developing, and leading teams to achieve common goals

Responsibilities

Leads planning strategy across assigned categories, establishing sales, margin, inventory investment, and working capital targets aligned with enterprise objectives
Owns category-level financial and demand forecasts, ensuring alignment with commercial strategies, financial plans, and operational capabilities
Serves as the primary planning partner to Category Management, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations, providing strategic guidance, identifying risks and opportunities, and influencing key business decisions
Directs forecasting processes and governance, leveraging historical trends, promotional activity, seasonality, and growth initiatives to drive forecast accuracy and consistency
Governs Open-to-Buy (OTB) plans and inventory investment strategies in partnership with Finance, balancing sales growth, profitability, and working capital objectives
Provides direction on inventory management, including assortment optimization, markdown strategies, exit plans, and inventory productivity initiatives
Provides guidance on markdown and exit strategies in partnership with Category Management and Supply Chain to mitigate inventory risk, prevent obsolescence, and maximize return on inventory investment
Leverages analytics to evaluate category performance, identify trends and opportunities; delivers actionable recommendations that improve sales, margin, and inventory outcomes
Partners with suppliers and internal stakeholders to align demand expectations, support growth initiatives, and drive category performance through data-driven decision making
Delivers executive-level reporting, financial analysis, scenario planning, and business insights to support strategic planning and operational performance reviews
Leads, coaches, and develops Planning talent while driving continuous improvement in planning processes, systems, tools, and governance practices