Sr. Planning Officer, Q8 Job Vacancy, Situation Vacant Kuwait, iiQ8, iik

The Senior Planning Officer will manage the demand planning process at Category and Item Level by creating & maintaining accurate Open-to-Buy data to be used by departments to maximize sales while maintaining planned stock/inventory. Additionally  you will also proactively ensure that the orders are placed in a timely manner and the stocks are available on time with major focus on maximizing sales.

• Maintain accurate monthly stock, sales, margins and intakes by category, available to the business by the start of every month, incorporating actual data from previous month
• Facilitate monthly departmental meetings to reforecast sales, margins and orders at category level
• Prepare monthly item wise orders taking into account supplier production time, transit and clearance time, store promotions, sales history, pricing, seasonality etc. and conduct monthly meetings with the key stakeholders to agree on future orders
• Weekly analysis of forecast vs actual sales of items to identify gaps and highlight to the relevant stakeholders to take corrective action to maximize sales
• Review every Purchase Order before its release to evaluate its impact on stock and make sure the orders are as per the order forecast agreed during forecasting meetings
• Proactively alert key stakeholders and department heads if orders are not placed on time, overstock/out of stock situation etc.
• Ensure stock availability on classified core and continuity lines throughout the year and maintain options to spot ratio
• Create and share summary reports to the departments based on Sales Forecast vs Actual Sales, Sales threshold of every spot in store, Forecast Accuracy etc. on weekly and monthly basis
• Focus to be on maximizing sales by ensuring stock availability at all times
• Manage prioritization of shipments and interact with logistics team to prioritize clearance from port
• Monthly report preparation on the expected container volume – current month + future 3 months

• Minimum 3 to 5 years’ experience of stock management and sales forecasting preferably in a retail merchandising environment.
• Thorough working knowledge of retail procurement in both local and overseas markets
• Very strong Excel and Reporting skills is a must
• Good proficiency in developing reports and providing insights to the business
• Positive attitude with a ‘can do’ approach when working under pressure or to tight deadlines.
• Able to work with other support functions, being a team player
• Excellent communication skills
• Well-developed analytical, reasoning and data interpretation skills
• Strong skills in Business Objects, SAP and MS office