Director - Merchandise Planning

INSPIRE | EXHILARATE | DELIGHT For over seven decades, Chalhoub Group has been a partner and creator of luxury experiences in the Middle East. In its pursuit to excel as a hybrid luxury retailer, the Group has curated a portfolio of over 10 owned brands and strengthened its distribution and marketing expertise for over 400 international names across luxury fashion, beauty, jewellery, watches, eyewear, and art de vivre categories. Every step at Chalhoub Group is taken to build a future where luxury dreams become reality — bridging cultures and crafting memorable experiences for our consumers. Be it by constantly reinventing itself, committing to innovation, or embracing new technologies, the Group is shaping the future of luxury retail. It delivers seamless omnichannel experiences across more than 950 stores, online platforms, and mobile apps. Driving this innovation journey is The Greenhouse — the Group’s innovation hub, incubator, and accelerator for startups and emerging businesses, regionally and globally. Chalhoub Group fosters a people-at-heart culture rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a workplace catalysed by forward thinking and future-proofing. Today, it brings together over 16,000 talented professionals across eight countries in the Middle East, with a presence in LATAM. Their collective efforts have earned the Group the Great Place to Work® certification in several markets. Sustainability is at the core of the Group’s strategy, guided by a clear commitment to people, partners, and the planet. Chalhoub Group is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, and to have pledged to reach Net Zero by 2040. What you'll be doing The purpose of the Director - Merchandise Planning role is to define and own the end-to-end planning strategy, ensuring alignment with business objectives while driving profitable growth through effective management of OTB, inventory, and key planning KPIs. The role leads Subvertical performance by overseeing planning operations, steering cross-functional decision-making, developing high-performing teams, and leveraging technology and innovation to continuously enhance planning capabilities, agility, and business outcomes. Strategic Oversight and Monitoring - Responsible of the Planning strategy of the sub-vertical in alignment with profitability targets and broader KPIs. - Monitor overall planning KPIs, including stock levels, ISA (Inventory Service Availability), Full Price Sell-Through, DOI (Days of Inventory), OTIF (On-Time In-Full), fill rates, and costs. Drive actions to ensure target KPIs are met. - Ownership of OTB guidance and governance ensuring agility in inventory management across the year and mitigation of EOY risk. Operational Oversight and Excellence - Act as the primary point of contact for the VP Planning, managing escalations and arbitration as needed. - Collaborate with the cross functional VPs to address major decisions related to omni-stock management and reallocation across channels. - Review and challenge critical operational components, including OTB, budgets, supply plans, markdown, and liquidation strategies. - Lead and drive S&OP processes to ensure the synchronization of demand and supply plans addressing risks and opportunities. - Manage B2B and B2C components of the business objectively ensuring the correct balance of inventory, prioritization and strategic alignment. Route-to-Market & Logistics Optimization - Partner with Logistics and Commercial teams to define and implement optimal route-to-market strategies for new and existing brands,, ensuring alignment with business objectives and operational capabilities. - Drive logistics cost optimization initiatives by improving end-to-end operational efficiency (ordering, receiving, picking), in close collaboration with Logistics teams and external suppliers. Organizational Development and Mentorship - Drive organizational effectiveness through the deployment of technological capabilities such as Blue Yonder and SAP, while ensuring strong team adoption and effective utilization of these tools. - Foster best practices in Planning across the division, ensuring alignment with organizational standards and goals including RACI ownership. - Support, mentor, and grow the capabilities of Merchandise Planners, especially in the adoption and optimization of advanced planning tools like Blue Yonder. Innovation and Continuous Improvement - Identify opportunities for continuous improvement in planning methodologies, leveraging technology to enhance accuracy, scalability, and efficiency. What you’ll need to succeed Professional Experience - 12 to 15+ years of experience in merchandise planning, inventory management, preferably within a global brand in FMCG, luxury, multi-brand, B2B or retail environment. - Proven experience in managing large teams across diverse planning functions. - Extensive experience in implementing