Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Planning
Posted date [2026-05-20]
(ID: 45450)
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Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim is one of the most progressive regional family business houses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. |
Job Description and Requirements
Assistant Planning Manager - Retail PlanningJob Snapshot
Role: Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Planning
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Industry: Retail
Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying
Experience: 3-5 years
Job Type: Full-time
Position Overview
Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Planning in Dubai, United Arab Emirates is a full-time opportunity in the Retail industry for an analytical planning professional with experience in merchandise planning, financial forecasting, sales analysis, inventory control, and retail performance reporting. The role supports annual business planning, weekly WSSI delivery, markdown management, sales forecasting, margin planning, stock optimization, and cross-functional planning across stores, e-commerce, and omnichannel operations.
This position is ideal for a retail planning specialist who can work with merchandising, allocation, retail, finance, buying, and supply chain teams to improve stock productivity, protect margin, identify business risks, and support profitable growth across multiple markets and channels.
Job Details
Country: United Arab Emirates
City: Dubai
Industry: Retail
Function: Merchandise Planning and Buying
Salary: 18000-28000
Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer.
Gender: Any
Candidate Nationality: Any
Job Type: Full-time
Role Context
The Assistant Planning Manager - Retail Planning will support the planning function by developing accurate sales, margin, markdown, and inventory plans across business units, markets, categories, stores, and channels. The role contributes to stronger retail performance by improving forecast accuracy, monitoring stock movement, managing markdown decisions, and providing timely business insights that help teams make informed commercial decisions.
Key Responsibilities
* Support annual business planning by market, business unit, category, store, and channel.
* Deliver weekly WSSI reporting for Clothing, Home, and total business performance.
* Prepare and monitor sales, cash margin, markdown cost, closing stock, and inventory plans against approved business targets.
* Assist in developing seasonal and annual sales plans for retail stores, e-commerce, and omnichannel operations.
* Build weekly, monthly, and seasonal forecasts using sales history, trading trends, stock position, market activity, and business drivers.
* Prepare financial projections covering gross profit, gross margin, markdown, inventory, and stock requirements.
* Track performance against plan and highlight risks, opportunities, sales gaps, and corrective actions.
* Support business unit sales planning by season, including new product strategies, forward plans, and growth initiatives.
* Assist with markdown planning, price phasing, promotional analysis, sell-through tracking, and aging stock reviews.
* Partner with merchandising teams to recommend markdown actions that improve sell-through while protecting margin.
* Prepare weekly and monthly business performance reports covering sales, margin, stock, KPIs, and category performance.
* Analyze product, category, store, and channel performance to support strategic planning and commercial decisions.
* Work with finance to validate forecasts, financial submissions, and business planning assumptions.
* Coordinate with buying and merchandising teams on department-level planning and weekly business reviews.
* Maintain accurate planning data, product hierarchies, templates, dashboards, and presentations for planning reviews.
Ideal Profile
The ideal candidate should have strong retail planning experience, advanced Excel skills, commercial understanding, and the ability to turn sales, stock, and margin data into clear business recommendations. The role requires accuracy, structured thinking, confidence with reporting tools, and the ability to work effectively in a fast-moving multi-category retail environment.
* Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Retail Management, or a related field.
* 3-5 years of experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, retail analysis, or commercial planning.
* Experience in fashion, home, food, or multi-category retail is preferred.
* Strong knowledge of sales forecasting, inventory planning, markdown management, margin analysis, and retail KPIs.
* Advanced Excel skills with strong reporting and numerical ability.
* Experience with planning and reporting systems such as JDA, Power BI, Tableau, SAP, or similar tools.
* Strong communication and presentation skills.
* Ability to work under pressure and manage planning deadlines in a fast-paced retail business.
* Detail-oriented approach with strong analytical and commercial judgment.
Skills Set
* Merchandise planning
* Retail sales forecasting
* WSSI reporting
* Inventory planning
* Markdown management
* Price optimization
* Gross margin analysis
* Business performance reporting
* Retail KPI tracking
* Category performance analysis
* Excel reporting
* Power BI
* Tableau
* SAP
* JDA planning systems
* Financial projections
* E-commerce planning
* Omnichannel retail planning
Why Join Us
This role offers a strong career path for planning professionals who want to grow within Dubai’s retail sector and work across large-scale, multi-market operations. The position provides exposure to well-known retail brands, advanced planning processes, commercial decision-making, omnichannel growth, and cross-functional collaboration with merchandising, finance, supply chain, buying, and retail teams.
About the Company
Al-Futtaim Retail is part of Al-Futtaim Group and operates a strong portfolio of international and regional retail brands across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. The business manages fashion, home, lifestyle, food, and specialty retail operations, with a focus on customer experience, brand partnerships, commercial growth, and developing talented retail professionals across the region.
