Lead a planning team (Merchandise & Location) to drive portfolio growth (getting the right plan), ensuring the right product in the stores that meet the needs of the customer in a fast fashion business

Education:

Degree or Diploma Qualification that is commerce-related.

Experience: 
Strong leadership, ability to grow and develop your team 
A track record of successfully developing others 
A track record of successfully delivering strategic imperatives 
Deep functional expertise in location and merchandise planning 
Minimum 5 - 7 years’ experience
Knowledge/ Skills: 
Advanced knowledge of Excel 
Good organizational and planning abilities 
Excellent communication skills 
Strong administrative Skills 
Team player   Mr Price Group Limited is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to Employment Equity.

 Team Leadership

1. Set goals and direction for the team in line with key portfolio imperatives as well as gender and company strategy. 
2.Ensure a focus on future portfolio planning and vision as well as a continuously optimizing current trade performance. 
3.Facilitate role clarity within the team and ensure clear accountability at a task contribution level as well as ‘ownership’ of key responsibility areas. 
4.Provide guidance and performance feedback at both an individual and team level -optimizing learning and development for all team members. 
5.Ensure accountability through effective delegation with appropriate support and oversight dependent on levels of competence and experience in the team. 
6.Review and streamline processes to ensure effective time management, proactive planning and team member utilization. 
7.Create a team culture that is disciplined in its thinking; responsive to trade; collaborative across all areas of the business and passionate about fashion retail. 
8.Keep up-to-date with group training material as it pertains to roles within reporting lines so as to be in the position to re-enforce the learnings generated in training for when direct reports are on the job.

Current Trade
1.Provide guidance, support and oversight to planners with regards to their weekly management of all current trade planning activities and action plans including critical marketing and resourcing timelines. 
2.Compile and communicate a current trade report for the senior business leaders, as well as strategic overviews of the previous month’s trade required for board reports. 
3.Analyze the RLC or other available market share stats when available on a monthly basis; monitoring growth targets against strategic intent and initiate proactive interventions as needed. 
4.Review financial plans and Replen forecasts and provide appropriate guidance regarding action plans within the required timelines. 
5.Adjust top line financial plans reflecting changes based on current trade that allows the merchandise planners and location planners to achieve the desired lower level financial plans. 
6.Review KPI’s on a monthly basis with Planning Director to monitor performance against approved targets. 
7.Facilitate competitive shops and store visits and ensure that action plans incorporate appropriate trading responses.

Post Mortem & Strategy
1.Set and drive future portfolio planning and vision based on a thorough understanding of historical portfolio performance and future portfolio strategy within the bigger picture of gender and company strategy. 
2.Monitor competitor activity with regards to merchandise strategy and impact onto the business. 
3.Conduct an in-depth and relevant portfolio performance analysis and compile a post mortem document and summary outlining key learnings, business implications and insights. 
4.Present the Post Mortem to Senior business leadership identifying critical gaps and opportunities for portfolio growth. 
5.Finalize sub cats with the Buying Brand Merchant and compile key strategic objectives and strategy document (in line with PM and Trend) which are aligned to company strategy. 
6.Create a top line financial plan portfolio / sub department level reflecting growth in line with missed opportunities, company strategy and trend as well as new store growth in order to allow the merchandise and location planner to achieve the desired lower level financial plan. 
7.Collate all critical strategy planning elements such as PMO, width and depth, price points, research and other key ratios and ensure accurate sub cat and category investment. Including productivity and profitably. 
8.In collaboration with buying, compile a Strategy portfolio summary ensuring alignment and input from Trend, Marketing, VM and Resource. 
9.Present Strategy to Senior Business leadership providing a clear, detailed rationale with reference to market conditions, Product and KPI’s.

Building an Assortment
1. Co-ordinate and manage assortment planning work based on review timelines and key calendar dates and turnaround timelines. 
2.Review the assortment plan in conjunction with buying and Trend ensuring that all assortments balance back to key strategic objectives, trade performance history with consistent sub category flow. 
3.Finalize the Review document including the PMO plan and Assortment sheet and communicate any shifts in product or key measures such as shape of assortment, and attribute management. 
4.Adjust top line financial plans reflecting changes in strategy bases on assortment plan that allows the merchandise planners and location planners to achieve the desired lower level financial plans. 
5.Prepare for the Review Presentation and present to Senior Business leadership demonstrating clear alignment with the seasonal strategy, financial plan and in store delivery critical path and action feedback accordingly.