Senior Merchandise Planner

About the Role

We have a compelling opening for a Senior Merchandise Planner eager to contribute to a vibrant retail operation in Botswana. This role demands a commercially savvy, analytical professional adept in apparel, footwear, or fashion retail sectors. The incumbent will spearhead merchandise planning, sales forecasting, and inventory optimization aimed at boosting department growth and overall profitability.

Responsibilities

• Formulate and execute merchandise plans that align with organizational strategies.
• Oversee budgets and forecasts to meet objectives related to sales, profit margins, expansion, and overall financial health.
• Shape product ranges, assortments, and inventory strategies reflecting customer preferences, store needs, and commercial goals.
• Manage stock inflow and replenishment to ensure optimum availability and maintain balanced inventory levels.
• Track sales and inventory metrics alongside departmental outputs to detect risks and capitalize on opportunities, implementing corrective strategies as needed.
• Analyze historical data, current market trends, and sales outcomes to underpin strategic business decisions.
• Deliver timely and precise reports, analyses, and insights to relevant internal stakeholders.
• Collaborate closely with Buying, Supply Chain, Logistics, and Store teams to guarantee smooth implementation of merchandise plans.
• Conduct reviews after each season to incorporate learnings into future planning endeavors.
• Lead specific planning projects and initiatives that support departmental goals.

Qualifications and Experience

• Completion of Matric or Grade 12 is mandatory.
• A tertiary qualification in Commerce, Finance, Accounting, Mathematics, Statistics, Business Science, Supply Chain, or related disciplines is desirable.
• Between 5 to 7 years or more in merchandise or retail planning, preferably in the apparel, footwear, or fashion retail industries.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the retail merchandise lifecycle including Buying, Planning, Logistics, and Store operations.
• Hands-on experience managing both seasonal and non-seasonal stock replenishment processes.
• Well-versed in core retail merchandise planning methodologies and key commercial performance indicators.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel along with familiarity with merchandise planning and reporting tools is advantageous.
• Experience within the South African and/or wider African retail markets will be considered a plus.

Key Competencies

This role requires a candidate who is commercially minded, analytically adept, numerically proficient, strategically focused, and solution oriented. Candidates should demonstrate strong attention to detail, organizational capability, resilience, self-motivation, excellent communication, and collaborative skills, alongside a results-driven approach. The ideal individual thrives in a fast-paced, high-pressure retail setting, making confident decisions supported by data and commercial insights.

Additional Information

• Position based in Botswana.
• Immediate start preferred.

If you meet these criteria and are eager to advance your career as a Senior Merchandise Planner, we encourage you to apply with an updated CV. Only candidates fulfilling the minimum qualifications will be reviewed.