Supply Chain Job - Inventory Planning Manager - Merchandising - London

Your New Salary: £218 p/d PAYE or £270 p/d Umbrella (inside IR35) equivalent of £56K pa

Location: Central London

Duration: 3-month temporary assignment, office-based (4 days in the office and 1 WFH)

Start date: ASAP

Working hours: 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday, 9am - 6pm

Who You'll Be Working for: World class luxury fashion brand.

Inventory Planning Manager - Merchandising - What You'll be Doing:

This position will be accountable for managing inventory at a Global level, supporting all OTB (Open to Buy) activities within the company's planning organisation.

They will be accountable for:

• Owning Open to Buy (OTB) and overall Group inventory management, by Region and Globally
• Accountable for setting Product Margin targets aligned with Finance Group targets
• Ensuring adherence to Inventory Targets and all Planning KPIs
• Responsible for re-balancing Global Inventory
• Accountable for Delisting and Markdown strategy in line with OTB targets

Inventory Planning Manager - Merchandising - Responsibilities:

• Accountable for Global Inventory management activities including assessment of monthly Global OTB updates across all Channels (FP Stores, Digital, Outlet, Wholesale), in partnership with Outlet team.
• Lead the development of a comprehensive Global Inventory Strategy across the full product life cycle, across all Channels.
• Prepare and deliver all OTB sign off presentations, up to c-suite, effectively communicating complex data and strategic recommendations to inform decision making.
• Ownership of the centralised Global and Regional Rolling OTB for all Channels ensuring optimal inventory and productivity assumptions.
• Define Global OTB parameters alongside Senior Manager of Inventory Planning, including Stock Turn and Inventory Targets for all Channels.
• Partner with Finance to develop accurate and aligned Global and Regional revenue expectations, on which the OTB will be built.
• Define and plan Regional Revenue and procurement targets at division level in partnership with Retail Merchandising, Collection Merchandising, Regional teams and Replenishment to support centralised seasonal OTB, as well as the market buy.
• Provide FY (Fiscal Year) and Seasonal Intake Margin guidance to Merchandising based on Group Finance Net Margin expectations to inform Range Plan and Seasonal intake margin targets.
• Analyse and identify risks to overall sales margin, across all Channels.
• Responsible for managing Global Safety Stock and Central Inventory Orders in partnership with Retail Merchandising and Replenishment team.
• Propose and agree inventory rebalances to improve Global sell through across Regions.
• Define Global Markdown and Delisting strategy, working to minimise revenue and inventory risk, working closely alongside the Outlet team to ensure adherence to Regional inventory targets and liquidation strategies.
• Managing team of 5 people.

Inventory Planning Manager - Merchandising - The Skills You'll Need to Succeed:

• Strong Manager experience in Global inventory planning.
• Effective communication skills.
• Strong leadership skills.
• Creative, innovative and customer-oriented when faced with business challenges.
• Strong decision-making capability.
• Dynamic and collaborative style, able to build positive working relationships with cross-functional teams and translate strategic direction to all levels of the organisation.
• Exceptional attention to detail and analytical skills.
• Creatively Driven.
• Forward Thinking.