Assistant Merchandiser Planner | Retail | Watsons

Job description / Role

Company Overview

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 organisation 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

Assist and analyze planning requirements and KPIs using available means (systems and tools). Support the planning team in analysis, make data available for decision making, and allow building routines. Work on inventory levels, minimizing errors, driving continuous improvement through processes, analysis, etc.

Participate in the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process to support harmonizing global improvement with common targets to Watsons.

What You Will Do

Description of Accountability:

Strategy and review

• Receive, assess, and create the stores' additional orders for validation on required levels as per release strategy in place.

Analysis

• Support and analyze gaps in master data:
• Source of supply
• Min/max table match
• Vendor extension
• Replenishment units of measures
• Replenishment parameters
• Lead times
• Analyze and provide necessary details to planners in order to assess and optimize JDA / auto-replenishment orders.
• Support and develop routine analysis, measures, and performance used during monthly S&OP cycles at category and global level.
• Participate in meetings with necessary stakeholders on a monthly / regular basis.
• Assist in various reporting and analysis (existing and new development), weekly trade pack, stock reports, KPI measurement, etc.

Ageing Stock

• Monitor monthly ageing stock level and support actions on liquidation strategy with buying / planning teams through inter-territory/store transfer, clearance, and promotions.

Replenishment

• Follow up on purchase orders daily to ensure necessary visibility is given to planning and logistics.
• Measure open purchase orders to assess and limit the impact on replenishment calculations.

Required Skills to Be Successful

• Able to handle complexity
• Excellent planning and organizing skills
• Good system proficiency; SAP and JDA experience is an additional advantage
• Proven analytical skills
• Advanced in Excel; Tableau is an additional advantage
• Ability to work in a matrix environment with multiple business functions
• Strong team player with ability to work with cross-functional partners and senior management on all aspects of the business

What Equips You for the Role

• Bachelor's degree with minimum 3-5 years' experience in planning and merchandising
• Knowledge of planning basics and general knowledge of supply chain
• Prior experience in assisting and analyzing inventory, performance, KPIs, etc.
• Experience using ERP systems (preferably SAP) and advanced planning tools with statistical modeling
• 3+ years planning experience

We're here to provide excellent service but a little help from you can ensure a five-star candidate experience from start to finish.

Before you click "apply": Please read the job description carefully to ensure you can confidently demonstrate why this opportunity is right for you and take the time to put together a well-crafted and personalised CV to further boost your visibility. Our global Talent Acquisition team members are all assigned to specific businesses to ensure that we make the best matches between talent and opportunities. We not only consider the requisite compatibility of skills and behaviours, but also how candidates align with our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, and excellence.

As part of our candidate experience promise, we also want to make ourselves available to you throughout the application process. We make every effort to review and respond to every application.

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.