Job Title: Planning Manager 12-month FTC Reports To: Director of Planning Location: London Office Oversee and manage planning across multiple departments and channels, driving commercial performance through strategic planning, effective trading, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver financial targets and operational excellence. Lead and develop a multi-tiered team, providing clear direction, regular performance appraisals, and tailored development plans to build capability and support individual growth. Key Responsibilities: Commercial & Financial Planning Set and manage financial targets by department and category, aligned with business objectives. Lead strategies to grow the full-price business and protect/drive comp sales. Act as the Full Price business leadconsolidating department insights and providing short- and long-term topline forecasts. Own the monthly Open-to-Buy (OTB) process and ensure regular in-season forecasting and trade reactivity. Analyse WSSI data to identify commercial opportunities and minimise business risks. Deliver reports and business recaps, analysing sales, inventory, markdowns, and profit performance at both topline and regional/classification levels. Conduct pre-sign financial meetings with Planning and Buying teams ahead of market to review budgets, align on financial targets, assess prior performance, and ensure investment decisions are data-driven and commercially sound. Merchandise & Assortment Strategy Partner with the Buying team to shape seasonal merchandise assortments in line with financial plans. Analyse key metrics (ROS, sell-through, sales density) and present findings to senior management to inform actionable strategies. Recommend seasonal buys based on deep commercial analysis to optimise sales, profitability, and sell-through rates. Collaborate with Field team, Allocation and Buying to manage product flow and assortment by classification. Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with Retail, Buying, Finance, and Store Operations to develop and execute commercial strategies. Support New Store Openings in collaboration with Buying and Branch teams supporting with financial planning, stock builds, and forecasting. Develop financial strategies in partnership with Field to monitor and exceed planned performance. Team Leadership & Development Manage and develop a multi-tiered team, providing coaching, clear expectations, and regular performance feedback. Build a high-performing, commercially focused planning team, fostering accountability, curiosity, and continuous learning. Identify rising talent and support the career development of direct report Inventory Management & Exit Strategies Monitor stock levels, weeks of supply, and sell-through rates to ensure alignment with stock targets. Develop and implement exit strategies for aged and underperforming stock to protect margin and improve inventory efficiency. Skills & Experience Required: Strong background in merchandise planning and financial forecasting (at least 7 years). Experience managing a multi-category and multi-channel business. Proven leadership in developing and coaching teams. High proficiency in planning systems (e.g. EP, WSSI, OTB tools) and strong Excel skills. Commercially astute, with a strategic mindset and the ability to drive performance through data-led decisions. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across levels and functions. Desirable: Experience in a luxury or premium retail environment. Familiarity with systems like BI tools (e.g. Qlik, Power BI), Zebra Pricing Tool, or other analytical platforms.
Job Title
Planning Manager 12 month FTC