Planning Manager: Essentials

**Job Advert**:
An exciting and challenging opportunity, based at our Support Centre in Kuils River, has just become available for a Planning Manager: Essentials within the Ackermans merchandise department.

We are looking for a resilient, efficient and influential individual with a compelling commercial flair, who can add strategic value to our business by being responsible for the delivery and management of the Ackermans Essentials merchandise and location plans to support the Company’s sales and profit objectives.

**Qualifications**:

- National Diploma in Financial Information Systems OR
- Comm./ B.Science degree OR
- Retail Diploma

**Knowledge, Skills and Experience**:
**Job Related Knowledge and Skills**:
**People skills**:

- The ability to influence across various levels and functions within the business
- The ability to communicate effectively at all levels both within, as well as outside the company
- Excellent interpersonal, people management, team management & leadership skills through coaching and mentorship
- Conflict management skills
- The ability to be resilient, have tenacity and maintain high levels of drive and initiative under pressure
- Cross-functional collaboration (essential between Planning, Buying & Supply Chain functions)
- The ability to create a shared vision and to positively influence others
- The ability to give input into company-wide initiatives and translate these into actions required of Planning
- Networking skills & the ability to be resourceful
- The ability to prioritise
- The ability to be assertive
- The ability to work independently, as well as be a team player
- People management practices, policies & procedures
- People Development (succession planning)
- The ability to create a shared vision and to positively influence others

**Merchant skills**:

- Merchant skills & a sound commercial mentality
- Superior numerical skills
- Sound analytical & problem-solving skills
- Good judgment together with strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities
- An understanding of the various market value propositions, and the accompanying shopper
- Sound strategic thinking skills, as well as the ability to formulate functional objectives related to business strategy
- Exceptional planning, organising & time management skills
- Formulating strategies in a changing global/local context
- Must be adaptable
- Must be outcomes focussed and solution driven

**Technical skills**
- High-level presentation skills
- Understanding of retail business systems and related processes - IT
- Knowledge of specific company buying strategies
- A comprehensive knowledge/understanding of SA’s retail clothing market, customers, and competitors

**Experience**:

- 5 - 7 years of merchandise planning experience of which at least 2 years are at a management level within a clothing/footwear retail environment
- Previous Planning managerial experience to understand the inner workings and product strategies and philosophies of a business.
- Experience working in cross functional initiatives
- Previous experience in leading a team
- Experience in implementing strategic interventions in a rapidly changing global and local context

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Delivering the consolidated SBU seasonal merchandise plans, location plans, assortment plans and monthly forecasts to the relevant stakeholders.
- Consistently ensuring that the execution of consolidated seasonal merchandise plans, location plans and assortment plans meet the specified KPIs.
- Providing accurate and on-time business information, aligning actions and managing deviations in order to achieve agreed merchandise objectives.
- Cost-effectively managing expenses within the approved budget.
- Developing and influencing cross-functional partnerships with all key stakeholders.
- Managing the SBU structure and placements (people) within the team to maximize productivity and achieve SBU objectives.
- Developing and empowering the SBU planning team by implementing sound people management practices, employee relations and a climate and culture of high performance.