Merchandise Planning Lead

About the role

The Merchandise Planning Lead acts as a trusted advisor to the SEA Trading Lead and Market Country Manager, developing and executing in‑season trading capabilities such as promotions, markdowns and end‑of‑season sales. The role partners with Demand Planning, Inventory Management, Commercial and Finance teams to drive strategic allocation and achieve financial KPIs.

Key responsibilities

• Manage the assortment portfolio and life‑cycle within the season while meeting financial expectations.
• Collaborate with SEA Demand Planning, Market Finance and Commercial teams to align bottom‑up revenue plans with top‑down sales targets.
• Coordinate market store segmentation, buying budgets and open‑to‑buy (OTB) management.
• Support market sales, gross profit and sell‑out performance, optimizing full‑price sell‑through and margin.
• Develop accurate store inventory flow forecasts and execute allocation strategies for new stores and replenishments.
• Update allocation parameters using sizing data, historical performance and retail feedback.
• Participate in weekly affiliate operations meetings to highlight and resolve issues.
• Bridge communication between SEA and local functional teams to ensure consistent brand execution.
• Support local S&OP processes with insights and actionable recommendations.
• Define market parameters for new items and stores, establishing monitoring scorecards.

Required profile

• Strong analytical mindset with solid financial acumen.
• Proactive problem‑solver able to identify business issues and provide data‑driven insights.
• Excellent collaboration skills across Commercial, Finance, Inventory Management and Distribution teams.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, in‑season environment.

Required skills