Requirements
The role requires a Bachelor's degree in business, finance, merchandising, or a related field, with a Master's degree being preferred. Candidates should have 5-8+ years of experience in retail planning, financial planning, or merchandising planning, ideally within the fashion or multi-channel retail sector. Strong expertise in forecasting sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown, and aging stock, along with proficiency in planning and BI systems like Excel, PowerBI, Tableau, SAP, Oracle/JDA, and WSSI, is essential.
Description
Job description / Role
Job Type
Full Time
Job Location
Dubai, UAE
Nationality
Any Nationality
Salary
Not Specified
Gender
Not Specified
Arabic Fluency
Not Specified
Job Function
Finance, Business Analysis & Consulting
Company Industry
Retail
About Al-Futtaim Group
Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions: automotive, financial services, real estate, retail, and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.
By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration, and integrity, Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day.
Overview of the role
The Planning Manager is a pivotal role responsible for driving financial and commercial performance across all channels and product categories. Leading detailed sales planning and forecasting, the role integrates markdown strategies to optimize inventory and maximize full-price sell-through to deliver profitable growth. The position requires collaboration across multiple functions such as Merchandising, Buying, and Operations, ensuring the alignment of financial goals and sales strategies. Success in this role is measured by achieving key business KPIs, including sales performance, cash margins, markdown costs, and closing stock levels.
What you will do
Business plan and KPI delivery
Responsible for planning the annual business plan by market and business unit
Deliver weekly WSSI for clothing & home, food, and total business
Execute markdown management
Develop robust and forward-thinking business plans
Ensure the achievement of sales, cash margin, markdown cost, and closing stock as per business plan
Sales planning
Lead accurate forecasting of sales, gross profit, gross margin, and markdown across all channels (fashion, food, digital) and regions
Develop sales plans by market, store, and category, broken down by month, week, and day
Monitor forecast versus actual performance, identifying variances and implementing corrective actions
Partner with merchandising, buying, and operations to translate financial plans into actionable strategies
Business unit sales planning
Accountable for business unit sales planning by season, incorporating new product strategies
Partner with merchandising, buying, and allocation to ensure alignment with product launches and promotions
Monitor performance against plan, identifying risks, opportunities, and corrective actions
Markdown planning & optimization
Own the markdown strategy across all regions and channels
Develop markdown phasing and price reduction plans to maximize sell-through
Analyze the financial impact of markdowns and promotions, providing data-driven recommendations
Collaborate with retail and e-commerce teams for accurate and timely markdown implementation
Ensure municipality permission lists are submitted on time according to market regulations
Reporting & performance tracking
Prepare and deliver weekly sales and inventory reports by business unit, channel, and store
Report on key metrics including sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown, and aging stock
Provide actionable insights and recommendations to senior leadership
Ensure accurate and timely reporting aligned with business objectives
Cross-functional collaboration
Work closely with merchandising and buying on assortment investment decisions
Partner with allocation and supply chain to ensure stock flows support financial plans
Collaborate with retail and e-commerce teams to align commercial performance with inventory strategy
Present financial results, forecasts, risks, and opportunities to senior leadership
Systems, processes & improvement
Maintain and enhance planning tools, dashboards, and reporting systems
Identify opportunities to improve processes and increase forecast accuracy
Ensure standardized and automated reporting to drive efficiency
Required skills to be successful
Strategic thinking and commercial acumen
Analytical and data-driven decision making
Collaboration and influencing skills
Planning and prioritization
What qualifies you for the role
Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, merchandising, or related field; master’s preferred
5-8+ years of experience in retail planning, financial planning, or merchandising planning, ideally in fashion or multi-channel retail
Strong expertise in forecasting sales, gross profit, gross margin, markdown, and aging stock
Proficiency in planning and BI systems (Excel, PowerBI, Tableau, SAP, Oracle/JDA, WSSI)
About Al-Futtaim Retail
Al-Futtaim Retail has established itself as one of the leaders in retail across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia over the past 30 years. We have developed partnerships with some of the biggest and most respected brands in the world including IKEA, ACE, and Toys R Us in the Middle East and the Inditex Group of Brands (Zara, Mango, Bershka, and P&B) across Asia. We are also one of the largest global partners of Marks and Spencer’s in both regions with over 75 stores offering both fashion and food options.
Most recently, we have been responsible for bringing brands to the Middle East for the first time with the exciting launches of Watsons and B&Q and we aim to continue to be agile and adaptive to our markets with new launches and further development. For this to be possible, we aim to recruit the best talent from all backgrounds who will continue to challenge and develop our diverse workforce which includes over 100 nationalities across 12 countries. Join us today and make a difference.
About the Company
Established in the 1930's, the Al-Futtaim Group initially operated as a trading enterprise. Rapid development throughout the 1940's and 50's saw it establish itself regionally as an integrated commercial, industrial and services organisation, positioning itself one of the leading business houses in the lower Gulf region. Today, it operates collectively over 40 companies bearing the Al-Futtaim name, dominates many market segments in the UAE, and has expanded its sphere of operation to include Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Egypt.
The Group comprises a diverse range of strategically positioned operating subsidiaries and associate companies, structured to give the Al-Futtaim Group the flexibility and versatility to keep ahead of local competition while keeping pace with the ever-evolving global business scenario. The Groups continued investment in world-class systems technology is clear evidence of its commitment to maintain leading edge performance and service delivery.
The success of the Al-Futtaim Group can be attributed to a business approach that combines the ability to change with the traditional values of integrity, service and social responsibility that define its core business philosophy. This, linked with the Groups belief in decentralisation, gives the heads of the operating companies a high degree of functional autonomy and authority, providing the Group with essential flexibility, and individual employees a clearly defined work culture and sense of responsibility.
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