Senior Manager - Demand Planning

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Landmark Group seeks a Senior Manager Demand Planning in Dubai to lead Homeware and Furniture planning, partnering with Buying, Supply Chain, Retail, Finance and Marketing to lift sales, margin and inventory productivity while delivering strong customer experiences. Define category strategy, own budgets (sales, margin, stock, OTB, turns), drive availability and improve cross-functional processes, and lead the planning calendar and team capability. In-season and seasonal planning, post-season reviews and weekly trading reviews with store insights are essential. Must-have: retail planning (WSSI, OTB, MFP, range planning), demand forecasting (MAPE, bias), in-season trading, strong commercial acumen, advanced Excel and planning tools (RELEX, o9, SAP IBP, Oracle). To apply, tailor your resume to show WSSI, OTB, MFP, range planning, forecast accuracy, leadership and cross-functional impact with measurable results.

Lead planning for Homeware/Furniture categories to drive sales, margin and inventory productivity. Partner with Buying, Supply Chain, Retail, Finance and Marketing to deliver strong customer experience and long-term business growth.

Responsibilities

Strategy & Leadership

• Define category and territory planning strategy aligned to business goals.
• Own budgets for sales, margin, stock, OTB and turns; track performance through the season.
• Partner cross-functionally to improve sourcing, processes and system effectiveness.
• Drive availability on key lines while optimizing inventory across the network.
• Lead planning calendar, governance and business rhythms.
• Coach and develop the planning team; build strong planning capability.

Seasonal & Range Planning

• Lead post-season reviews and translate insights into future strategies.
• Develop seasonal plans on sales, pricing, assortment, suppliers and brands.
• Build budgets, MFP, store grading and range plans aligned to financial targets.
• Track performance vs plan and ensure adherence to merchandising standards.

In-Season Performance Management

• Monitor OTB, ordering, forecasting, stock cover and inflows.
• Identify over/under-performance and drive actions on reorders, markdowns and allocations.
• Ensure replenishment availability and minimize stock-outs.
• Present performance and actions in weekly and monthly trading reviews.

Market & Store Insights

• Conduct regular store and competitor visits to track trends, pricing and customer behavior.
• Share insights and drive corrective actions with buying and commercial teams.

Systems & Governance

• Ensure strong reporting, data integrity and effective use of planning tools.
• Partner with central teams on system enhancements.

People Management

• Lead hiring, performance management and capability building for the planning team.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Sales vs Plan
• Gross Margin vs Plan
• Inventory Turn & GMROI
• Forecast Accuracy (MAPE) & Bias
• Stock Availability on Key Lines
• Aged Stock %
• Markdown % to Sales
• OTB Adherence
• Sell-through %
• Team Capability & Performance (forecast accuracy improvement, delivery against goals)

Must Have:

• Retail planning expertise (WSSI, OTB, MFP, range planning, store grading, allocation, markdown management)
• Demand forecasting & analytics (MAPE, bias, trend analysis, scenario planning)
• In-season trading management (reforecasting, corrective actions, performance tracking)
• Strong commercial acumen (sales, margin, pricing, GMROI mindset)
• Advanced Excel / data analytics capability with the ability to translate data into business insights and actions
• Team management (coaching, performance management, building capability) 
• Ability to influence without authority and manage conflicts constructively
• Stakeholder Leadership
• Experience with planning tools (e.g., RELEX, o9, SAP IBP, Oracle, or similar) is a plus

Our journey started in 1973 with a single store in Bahrain. Since then, we have grown into a global retail and hospitality group. The proud creator of 25 plus value led, own-built brands across retail, hospitality, food, and leisure.

Over the years, our UAE - based group has evolved into a comprehensive retail and hospitality entity, with over 2200 retail stores, leisure, and hospitality outlets, panning the GCC, Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and Africa. Today, Landmark Group is one of GCC's largest omnichannel retailers and India's top home and fashion retailer.

We take immense pride in the organic growth of our retail brands, which have blossomed into household names. From Max, Splash, Babyshop, Centrepoint, Shoemart, Homecentre, Emax, Fitness First, to Funcity, to name a few, our brands span across a multitude of categories, enriching the lives of countless families over the past decade.