CATEGORY PLANNER JOB DESCRIPTION

The Category Planner owns the demand forecast and open-to-buy for an assigned category, translating market performance data and range review findings into inventory decisions that determine what ends up on shelves - and what sells through before markdown. Stock turn and sell-through rate are the numbers this role answers to weekly. Sitting within the planning function and interfacing daily with buying, supply chain, and marketing, the Category Planner converts insight into committed plans.

As the Category Planner, you own category-level demand forecasting, OTB management, and promotional volume planning to keep stock availability aligned with sales budgets and margin targets across assigned channels and markets. The role sits within the planning team, reporting to the Head of Planning or Planning Manager, and works across buying, supply chain, marketing, and finance to ensure inventory plans reflect both commercial strategy and customer demand.

Career Impact: Owning an OTB and managing range reviews from ranging through sell-through develops the financial fluency and supplier negotiation credibility that distinguish senior planners and category managers in consumer goods markets.

Business Impact: When category plans are miscalibrated, excess inventory builds or core lines go out of stock - this role is the reason neither happens, directly protecting gross margin and customer availability metrics.

Growth Opportunity: Experience managing S&OP inputs, running post-mortems on promotional performance, and presenting to senior leadership creates a clear track toward Senior Category Planner or Category Manager roles within 2 to 3 years.

Company Value: Several employers in this group offer hybrid working arrangements and above-market remuneration packages including extended annual leave, reflecting the commercial value placed on experienced planning professionals.

• Own category-level demand forecasts and OTB plans aligned to financial sales budgets and stock turn targets.
• Develop store-specific or channel-specific inventory allocations when launching new products to maximize stock efficiency.
• Coordinate promotional volume planning with marketing and buying teams to quantify category promotional uplifts accurately.
• Monitor weekly and monthly category performance across sales, margin, and stock KPIs, producing recommendations for corrective action.
• Support range review processes by analyzing sell-through, penetration, and AOV data to inform new line additions and space changes.
• Manage exit of de-ranged products within specified sell-through time frames to minimize markdown exposure.
• Collaborate with supply chain and buying on supplier engagement and Phase-In/Phase-Out strategies to maintain in-stock positions.
• Present category performance findings and improvement plans to senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 3 or more years of category planning, demand planning, or merchandise planning experience, with exposure to retail or FMCG environments.
• Demonstrated understanding of open-to-buy, stock turn, sell-through, and margin contribution as planning levers.
• Ability to analyze sales history, market trends, and range performance data to form actionable inventory recommendations.
• Experience participating in or supporting Sales and Operations Planning processes across buying, supply chain, and finance functions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present findings to stakeholders at varying seniority levels.
• Proven organizational ability to manage competing priorities and multiple category deadlines simultaneously.
• High attention to detail and comfort working independently with large data sets to produce accurate, timely outputs.

• Prior experience managing or mentoring junior planning team members within a retail or FMCG planning function.
• Familiarity with statistical forecasting methods and demand planning systems used in retail or consumer goods environments.
• APICS certification or equivalent supply chain planning credential.
• Experience with planogram analysis, space planning, or category management association coursework.

• Forecast accuracy rate by category, measured against actual unit sales on a weekly and period basis.
• Stock turn versus OTB target, tracked monthly to ensure inventory investment is generating planned sales velocity.
• Sell-through rate for de-ranged and seasonal lines, measuring speed of exit within agreed time frames.
• Out-of-stock frequency for core lines, reflecting how well planned in-stock positions are maintained.
• Gross margin variance versus plan, attributable to promotional volume accuracy and markdown management decisions.
• Typical tools: Demand planning and ERP platforms (commonly SAP or equivalent); spreadsheet applications (commonly Excel at intermediate to advanced level).

• Base Salary Range: $70,000 to $95,000 per year depending on experience and market.
• Bonus: Annual performance bonus of 5 to 10 percent tied to category and planning KPIs.
• Equity: Equity is not typical at this level in retail planning roles.
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage standard across employers in this space.
• PTO: 15 to 20 days annually, with some employers offering extended leave of up to 5 weeks.
• Common Perks: Hybrid work arrangements, product discounts, and professional development support for planning certifications.

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Background check completion is a condition of employment for this role. All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Reasonable accommodations are available to individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.

The Category Planner owns product forecasts across the 3P Commerce portfolio, including Amazon and other non-owned-and-operated selling channels, to drive business objectives both short and long term. Reporting to senior leadership and collaborating closely with category management and supply chain teammates, this role shapes inventory allocation workstreams and delivers the financial and quantitative analysis that underpins every major planning decision.

Key Responsibilities

• Own product forecasts for the 3P Commerce portfolio which includes Amazon and other non-Owned & Operated selling channels.
• Act as lead planner and apply business analysis to inform decisions that will drive business objectives both short- and long-term.
• Develop strong relationships with cross-functional teammates in category management and supply chain and aim to be a best-in-class partner through joint planning initiatives.
• Partner with supply chain team to optimize in-stock and fill rate goals.
• Monitor and analyze digital marketplace trends and identify category and product growth opportunities.
• Determine and communicate metrics of success, interacting with senior leadership on a regular basis.
• Leverage strong business acumen to execute smartly, supporting all decisions with financial and quantitative analysis.
• Contribute to the flawless execution of category planning strategies and inventory allocation workstreams.
• Think outside the box and be solution oriented for the continuous improvement of customer value and business goals achievement.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Arts or Sciences required.
• 3 years of experience in ecommerce required, with Amazon experience a plus.
• 3 years of experience in merchandising and/or demand planning required.
• Deep understanding of open-to-buy, inventory, and business planning required.
• Knowledge of eCommerce best practices with strong merchandising point of view required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with excellent cross-functional collaboration ability required.
• Team player with a no-task-too-small attitude required.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment required.
• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort with ambiguity required.
• Strong customer focus with interest in understanding and driving user behavior required.
• Passion for health and wellness with awareness of newest product trends preferred.

Embedded within the supply chain planning team, the Category Planner manages the efficient flow of stock-availability information between internal and external parties while engaging proactively with suppliers to improve agreed KPIs. Working closely with cross-functional business stakeholders, this role builds supplier relationships and supports Phase-In and Phase-Out strategies that sustain continuous supply chain performance improvement.

Core Functions

• Make an impact on the supply chain and see work in action.
• Work in a team of collaborative, friendly, and supportive colleagues.
• Manage efficient flow of correspondence and information with internal and external parties regarding stock availability and supply chain processes.
• Engage proactively with suppliers to improve agreed KPIs.
• Identify opportunities for improved supply chain performance.
• Engage suppliers for key event planning.
• Monitor supplier forecast accuracy.
• Support product Phase-In and Phase-Out strategies in line with business strategy.
• Communicate supply impact to wider business and develop improvement plans.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5 years of experience in a supply chain stock planning environment, preferably within retail or FMCG.
• Knowledge and understanding of SAP and ERP is desirable.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence where required.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Analytical mindset for problem solving and root cause analysis.
• Experience working with suppliers to improve performance.
• Strong presentation skills with prior experience presenting to internal and external stakeholders at varying seniority levels.
• Experience in end-to-end stock planning.
• Intermediate proficiency in MS Office Suite.

Benefit

• Hybrid working model with up to 2 days per week working from home.
• Market-leading remuneration of $103,000 to $122,700 including super.
• 5 weeks annual leave.

Reporting to senior category leadership, the Category Planner supports the definition of strategy for a defined category and its sub-categories, ensuring a full approved development plan is in place to deliver desired results. Partnering with marketing teams, key suppliers, and cross-functional stakeholders, this role delivers measurable gains in customer performance metrics including penetration, average order value, and purchase frequency.

Primary Duties

• Support in defining the strategy for a defined category and its sub-categories so that a full approved development plan is in place to deliver the desired results.
• Serve as the customer champion for the category and the key interface with marketing teams and all relevant stakeholders.
• Plan resources for category development, working across key functions to achieve results.
• Analyse key data and research in relation to customer and market performance for reviewing and planning purposes.
• Measure the success of category plans against the overall category and market.
• Facilitate delivery of category plans through agreed tactics covering ranging, pricing, and promotional activity.
• Communicate the process and plans to the wider team.
• Work with relevant key suppliers to effectively deliver results for the benefit of customers.

Skills & Qualifications

• Proven experience in category management and planning in a previous role.
• Ability to analyse and review data to draw key insights in collaboration with the insight team.
• Demonstrated customer-centric approach with responsibility for customer performance measures including penetration, AOV, and frequency.
• Ability to write clear briefs and communicate effectively with teams.
• Project management and presentation skills required.

Sitting at the intersection of demand forecasting and cross-functional supply chain alignment, the Sr Category Planner leads writing demand planning activities by product category to deliver the most accurate near and longer-term total forecast as measured by forecast accuracy and attainment. Operating across supply chain, sales planning, NSC, and finance teams, this role builds the analytical infrastructure and stakeholder alignment that drives forecast accuracy and total value-chain optimization.

Duties

• Work with business units, sales, operations, supply planning, and finance teams in the Sales and Operations Planning process to assure alignment between the forecast and financial plans.
• Develop and monitor process metrics to drive process conformance, problem solving, and improvement.
• Identify quantified risks within the demand plan, review gaps with customer and brand teams, and develop appropriate countermeasures for resolution.
• Ensure timely and accurate execution of weekly, period, and annual demand planning activities including control execution, post-performance analysis, category cross-functional review, long-range forecast review, innovation management, and capacity review.
• Manage directly and indirectly the input of SKU, DC, and customer requirements for replenishment, promotions, events, seasonal volumes, innovations, and adds/deletes, validating plans directly with the customer.
• Participate in or lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve product category-level forecast accuracy and provide insights to drive organizational benefits including productivity realization.
• Partner with statistician and customer teams to drive statistical forecast solutions and improvements.
• Act as a SAP/IBP business process and reporting tool champion, partnering with the NSC team to drive improvement and resolve system-related issues.
• Contribute to overall business success by representing supply chain interests in cross-functional project teams to implement changes to business processes.
• Operate as a strategic thought leader working collaboratively with supply chain teams on priority initiatives that optimize service, inventory, and cost for the total value chain.
• Identify opportunities for improvement and make constructive suggestions for change.

Education & Experience

• College degree in Supply Chain Management, Engineering, Business Management, or a related technical field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience across multiple aspects of the supply chain including forecasting, manufacturing planning, and/or inventory management.
• Knowledge of statistical modeling and demand systems such as SAP, JDA, or Logility.
• Expertise in data acquisition, spreadsheet and database development, and analysis.
• Proficiency with Excel, PowerPoint, and other MS Office applications, as well as supply chain planning and optimization tools.
• SAP APO, IBP, and/or Power BI experience required.
• Ability to process large amounts of data and deliver concise recommendations.
• Strong communication skills across written, verbal, and presentation formats with strong organizational ability.
• Ability to influence others and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Ability to communicate at various organizational levels and support thoughts with facts.
• Ability to build strong, collaborative relationships with internal and external business partners.
• Ability to manage schedule and exhibit flexibility to support multiple projects while meeting all deadlines.
• Detail-oriented with strong results orientation and work ethic.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Occasional travel required to company, customer, and/or partner locations in support of supply chain initiatives.

A key member of the category team, the Category Planner performs detailed analyses and provides recommendations required to develop and support category plans, strategies, tactical initiatives, and micro marketing of space and price. Collaborating across store operations, vendor management, and marketing functions, this role leads profitability optimization and delivers the competitive intelligence that shapes category strategy.

Accountabilities

• Develop analysis tools needed to help the category team optimize profitability, including data retrieval, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Monitor costs over time and across applicable markets.
• Continuously improve standard reports for monitoring and forecasting performance, including unit movement and P&L.
• Measure advertising effectiveness using regression analysis to eliminate seasonality and weather factors.
• Create ad-hoc reports as needed.
• Coordinate and analyze all price survey processes and make recommendations to category teams concerning retail and promotional pricing decisions.
• Analyze test programs including cannibalization impact, incremental gross profit, and by-store highlights, then provide written recommendations and communicate results to store operations.
• Follow up with general managers, area managers, or directors of store operations to initiate action as needed.
• Coordinate vendor and category reviews and provide analysis for all vendor proposals, RFQ's, rebate programs, promotional recommendations, and out-of-stocks.
• Assist the assortment manager with vendor inventory projections.
• Identify industry trends, perform competitive analysis, and conduct financial benchmarks.
• Produce an annual summary of category performance for the past year, including changes in mix, profitability, competitors, consumers, and suppliers, then recommend action as needed.
• Perform analysis by multiple store segments to identify areas of strength and opportunity.
• Provide support for monthly profit improvement meetings, quarterly marketing meetings, and the annual marketing strategic planning process.
• Develop category requirements and identify needs when developing and enhancing information systems.
• Audit databases to ensure accuracy of cost, retail, unit of measures, and hierarchies.
• Work cross-functionally with several departments in execution of tests, rollouts, and assorted category and brand activity.

Background & Experience

• Bachelor's degree with business concentration preferred.
• 4 to 6 years of experience in business analysis, preferably in consumer goods or foodservice setting.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint skills required.
• Experience with analytical software to facilitate development of product assortment strategies preferred.
• Conceptual ability to develop robust models for forecasting and pricing.
• Ability to use statistical techniques such as regression analysis.
• Experience developing hierarchies and classifications for databases.
• Ability to work well individually and in a team environment.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Ability to work with little or no supervision.
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to make decisions independently.
• Excellent leadership skills.

Accurate global stock availability for a teawares portfolio depends on the Category Planner - Teawares, who delivers precise volume and product forecasting across all channels and markets to secure stock flow and meet company targets. Reporting to the Head of Planning and working closely with the product team and direct reports, this role enables financial KPI attainment across sales margin, stock turn, and inventory levels on a global scale.

Scope of Work

• Deliver accurate product and volume planning for all channels to meet financial sales budgets, stock levels, and stock turns in line with OTB and company targets.
• Deliver against financial KPIs including sales margin, stock levels, and stock turns for each category in the portfolio.
• Minimize out-of-stocks and lost sales opportunities for core lines.
• Manage inventory within OTB parameters.
• Maintain sales and margin targets in line with company expectations.
• Conduct range and option plan analysis by channel and market to support delivery of an optimal range.
• Plan in-season promotions to deliver sales, margin, and stock KPIs in conjunction with the Head of Planning.
• Build and manage global merchandise plans by market in line with company targets and strategy.
• Work closely with the product team to execute the option plan.
• Review weekly, monthly, and quarterly performance of the category by market and channel, including recommendations.
• Manage margin, stock turn, and markdowns.
• Support, mentor, develop, and guide direct reports.

Experience & Qualifications

• Previous experience as a planner for a minimum of 2 years with an understanding of the retail environment.
• Previous experience leading a small team preferred.
• Ability to analyse data and make recommendations supported by financial outcomes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Clear and concise communication skills with comfort in collaborative environments.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills required.
• Exceptional attention to detail.

As the Senior Category Planner, this role develops and implements business strategies that maximize sales, profit, turn, and service to customers across a nutrients portfolio. The planning team relies on this work to maintain SKU-level forecast accuracy, sustain open-to-buy alignment, and deliver the standardized reporting that guides monthly S&OP and seasonal budget decisions.

Role Responsibilities

• Develop business area strategy in partnership with category, finance, distribution, manufacturing, sales, and vendor partners.
• Create and update SKU-level sales and inventory forecasts based on market trends, insights from cross-functional partners, and forecast models.
• Manage financial planning including assortment productivity, sales and inventory KPIs relating to the monthly S&OP process, and seasonal budget review.
• Train and develop internal partners and new team members.
• Manage purchasing and production forecast to ensure alignment with open-to-buy.
• Provide standardized reporting and ad hoc analysis to support strategic business decisions.
• Participate in projects to support company growth and process improvement.
• Communicate weekly with cross-functional team on risks, opportunities, and recommended solutions.

Professional Experience

• Experience in a fast-paced environment managing multiple priorities.
• Advanced understanding of forecasting and financial metrics and their impact on profitability.
• Ability to analyse and manipulate data within Excel and Tableau to provide ad hoc analysis and recommendations.
• Ability to build effective relationships with a wide range of cross-functional partners.
• Self-starter with comfort operating in environments where the path has not been clearly defined.
• Bias for action with comfort challenging the status quo.
• Passion, curiosity, and commitment to flawless execution.

Category Planner leads efficient management of inventory assets across all processes surrounding forecasting, purchasing, and analysis of multiple data sources. Success in the position means developing demand forecasts, tracking purchase orders, optimizing stock turns, minimizing excess inventories and out-of-stocks, and delivering accurate reporting that keeps internal stakeholders and international and domestic suppliers aligned.

Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Analyze inventory, demand, forecasts, sales history, market trends, and vendor lead times to place timely purchase orders within budget, ensuring appropriate inventory levels for all items.
• Establish and maintain item-level demand forecasts through collaboration and statistical analysis to discover and understand historical demand patterns and improve supply chain performance.
• Maintain visibility to disposition of shipments and monitor production, adjusting purchase orders in the system as necessary.
• Prepare and conduct monthly planning review meetings for a company-wide audience and relay general inventory information.
• Manage purchases around style life cycle to prevent potential excess or obsolete inventory, working with product teams for product life cycle visibility.
• Maintain accurate line list including coding of excess and obsolete items and publish updated reports prior to end of season for closeouts.
• Provide regular and on-request inventory level reporting by division, label, category, location, and status.
• Communicate regularly with customer service and sales management on key issues that may affect on-time delivery of product to customers.
• Maintain daily communication with international and domestic suppliers.
• Manage SKU creation, costing, and company master cost grids.
• Lead and design continuous evolution of planning tools, processes, reporting, and project status management.
• Create off-system custom reporting as required by the business.
• Provide support and/or training to other staff members as required.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Supply Chain and/or Business Administration preferred.
• APICS certification is a plus.
• 3 to 5 or more years of experience in the retailing or manufacturing sector with a comprehensive understanding of supply chain planning activities, inventory management processes, measurements, and best practices.
• Firm understanding of key inventory performance metrics including turns, months of supply, excess and obsolete inventory, lead time planning, safety stock, and margin contributions.
• Firm understanding of demand management and forecasting tools, sales forecasting processes, marketing operations, finance, logistics, manufacturing, and supply chain issues.
• Understanding of international production and sourcing practices.
• Comprehensive understanding of the open-to-buy and/or budgeting process.
• Familiarity with accounting controls and budgeting, planning, and forecasting processes with a strong background in spreadsheet analysis and strong mathematical abilities.
• Strong computer skills with an emphasis on Excel, Access, and ERP systems.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Detail-oriented with a strong work ethic, high degree of creativity and resourcefulness, and meticulous attention to written and verbal output.

The Category Planner owns item status monitoring, production schedule oversight, and root-cause analysis of long inventory across a broad supply chain network, working directly with customer service, deployers, and production schedulers to keep policies followed and customer expectations met. Collaborating with sales, marketing, demand planning, and exit management teams, this role delivers service-issue resolution and corrective actions that protect both network efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Key Deliverables

• Serve as the primary point of contact when supply issues arise, working with sales, planning, replenishment, customer service, and various others to communicate action plans.
• Assist with PLM activity and discontinued products as they enter or leave the business, ensuring a positive transition for the customer and various internal departments.
• Assist cross-functional communication on issues for label development of new labels, redesigned labels, packaging changes, formula changes, and other changes to ensure customer service expectations are met.
• Communicate issues with forecasting including purchases of significantly more or less than the forecast.
• Work with sales, demand planning, and customer service to improve forecast accuracy and enable better planning and service to customers.
• Highlight and help resolve distressed or aged inventory.
• Provide data analysis support for supply chain and business unit teams on various projects.
• Identify opportunities and solutions for potential service issues to customers.
• Work closely with production scheduling and purchasing to help maintain targeted inventory levels.
• Communicate with demand planning, deployers, and scheduling to ensure forecasts are updated and STOs are entered for customer promotional programs.
• Facilitate cross-functional communication between the plant and distribution centers.
• Manage exit strategies, customer product transitions, graphic redesigns, and item status updates.
• Communicate supply chain issues daily to customer service.

Minimum Qualifications

• Associate degree in Supply Chain or related field required.
• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain or related field preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Word and Excel required.
• Ability to work proactively with functional teams including scheduling, customer service, sales, and marketing to resolve supply chain issues.
• Strong oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to balance several projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work well under tight deadlines and high-pressure situations.
• Highly analytical with solid problem-solving skills.
• Strong attention to detail.

Embedded within the category solutions and store design teams, the Category Planner builds new planograms and maintains existing ones for assigned departments and categories while assisting with the creation of merchandise floor plans for retail and store design projects. Working closely with members, field staff, vendors, and category management association programs, this role delivers the space planning analysis and custom merchandising solutions that drive product sales volume and member store traffic.

Functions

• Build new and update all assigned department planograms as well as planograms to support the category solutions program.
• Enable members to increase customer satisfaction with merchandise selection and assortments and drive sales.
• Provide members with the ability to respond quickly to customer trends and market opportunities.
• Give members a competitive advantage in serving DIY customers and professional tradesmen.
• Incorporate new merchandising techniques and methods to increase member store sales.
• Build and maintain planograms to support seasonal and advertising needs in order to drive product sales volume and traffic into member stores.
• Apply data analytics to the planogram creation process using member point of sale data and warehouse sales data.
• Develop custom planograms for member projects as approved and needed.
• Complete competitor store merchandising audits as needed.
• Develop and execute plans for featuring product and planograms in special merchandising areas at spring and fall markets.
• Respond to member, field staff, and vendor requests for merchandising planogram and category management information.
• Develop merchandise floor plans, store layouts, and product adjacencies as well as generic store layouts as needed.
• Achieve Space Planner Certification.
• Participate in select courses through category management association designation programs.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing or Business, or 3 to 5 years of experience in retail, preferably in the hardware or home improvement industry.
• Experience with product categorization and expertise in merchandising concepts and best practices.
• Knowledge of and experience with space planning software such as Pro Space, Pegman, Intercept, Spaceman, or Apollo.
• Experience with analytical methodology and software to facilitate the development of product assortment strategies.
• Proficiency with CAD for floor and merchandising planning.
• Basic computer software knowledge of the MS Office suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, and Access.
• Beginner or intermediate level category management experience developing planograms, product assortments, and retail merchandising projects.
• Firm grasp of space planning concepts.
• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written.

Reporting to category and SIOP leadership, the Category Planner develops annual category sales, gross profit, and inventory plans grounded in the operating plan and consensus demand forecast. Partnering with buying, supply chain, and demand planning teams, this role translates promotional and range review insights into store-specific allocations and OTB-aligned financial plans that keep the business on target against market performance.

Areas of Ownership

• Develop category sales, gross profit, and inventory plans based on the operating plan on an annual basis and review on an ongoing basis to meet overall business objectives.
• Translate the new product inventory flow plan into store-specific allocations by setting initial allocation quantities when launching products into the business to maximise stock efficiencies.
• Generate and collate information and apply sound business thinking to provide the category team with insights to assist in planning and managing the category effectively.
• Incorporate the consensus demand forecast into category plans and financials in order to achieve agreed business stock objectives.
• Follow the promotions process and provide insights based on input from demand planning systems to add value to the quantification process of category promotional volumes.
• Provide insights for the range review process based on analysis of relevant information to add value to the quantification process of new lines and space changes.
• Ensure de-ranged products are exited and sold through within specified time frames.
• Contribute to category and SIOP meetings and regularly review performance indicators such as sales, inventory, operations, and planning, keeping the business updated on financial performance versus market and plan.
• Prepare, report, and communicate sales, GP, and inventory measurements and conduct post mortems on events for management.
• Collaborate with category to ensure top-down forecast aligns with OTB forecast within the planning horizon.

Position Requirements

• Knowledge and understanding of planning processes including stock flow and stock availability.
• Knowledge of planning systems and variables.
• Knowledge of supply chain processes and all merchandise functions including buying and supply chain.
• Knowledge of financial planning and assortment management including range reviews.
• Knowledge of demand or supplier planning and forecasting.
• Ability to decide, initiate action, persuade, and influence effectively.
• Strong ability to present and communicate information clearly at varying stakeholder levels.
• Strong analytical, planning, and organisational skills.
• Ability to deliver results while meeting customer expectations.
• Ability to adapt and respond to change with entrepreneurial and commercial thinking.

Sitting at the intersection of factory production planning and supply network strategy, the Category Planner builds and maintains an 18-month production plan that ensures continuous product availability across all receiving locations. Operating across market controlling, Capex planning, and AVC consolidation workstreams, this role delivers the capacity simulations and scenario plans that allow leadership to balance flexibility, reliability, and long-horizon supply constraints.

Job Functions

• Establish an 18-month production plan for the factory within the scope of responsibility to ensure continuous product availability in all receiving locations.
• Establish committed capacity including timing proposals for plant shutdowns and investments.
• Provide information on labor requirements through committed capacity planning.
• Create a feasible and optimal production plan that respects defined available capacity.
• Signal and effectively address all potential capacity issues well in advance.
• Identify possible opportunities and improvements in collaboration with the factory within the 18-month horizon, balancing flexibility and reliability.
• Coordinate AVC consolidation, volume forecast affiliates, and serve as SPOC for market controlling.
• Actively support the strategic volume planning process including Capex planning by providing capacity simulations, scenario planning, and contingency proposals.
• Analyze and evaluate the supply plan and net dispatch requirements to satisfy customer needs considering network complexity and supply constraints.

Technical Qualifications

• University degree required.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• 6 or more years of experience in at least one of the following areas factory planning, supply network planning, IMSP, factory production team lead, or demand planning.
• Good awareness and understanding of business and market trends.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence.
• Eye for detail with the ability to prioritize effectively.
• Ability to balance and challenge conflicting objectives.
• Ability to see the broader picture beyond the scope of the role.
• Ability to challenge the current status quo.