Associate Planner

Company Description
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren's reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The Company's brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, Chaps, and Club Monaco, among others, constitute one of the world's most widely recognized families of consumer brands

Position Overview
The Associate Planner on the Commercial Trading team supports the Manager & Director, while actively trading & executing product strategy across Ralph Lauren EMEA stores & ecommerce. They trade their product areas using markdown & inventory levers to drive sales, profit, and productivity. They are responsible for clear & concise reporting, trade action plans, and highlighting future risks/opportunities. The Commercial Trading team members work in close partnership with Assortment Planning, Retail / Branch Planning, Inventory & Distribution teams, Buying, Marketing, Retail Operations, and other key stakeholders.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

* Responsible for trading & reporting of your product area
* Own product performance analysis for your product area, highlighting opportunity/risk to management and wider teams, along with necessary actions
* Forecast pricing & margin trajectory and impact on overall sales
* Feed into pricing (markdown) strategy, and set your product markdown prices in line with business objectives
* Manage input of markdown prices in the system
* Produce business-wide product reporting
* Present trade & analysis to various levels/stakeholders within the business
* Provide actionable inventory guidance to allocation & inventory partners at all stages of product selling (ie from launch to post-markdown)
* Hindsight monthly/seasonal performance and markdown/sale periods, take learns and implement in future strategy & decisions
* Form close partnerships with Assortment Planning & Buying counterparts to ensure sales goals and brand & product strategies are achieved
* Mentor and guide junior team members to ensure clarity on individual tasks, as well as understanding of 'big picture'
* Be open & collaborative in all ways of working
* Lead, coach, and develop student placements

Experience, Skills & Knowledge

* Minimum 1-2 years as Junior Merchandiser or equivalent
* Must be dynamic, resilient, and happy to work in a fast-paced environment
* Self-starter; highly motivated and organised
* Strong analytical skills, proven proficiency in retail math
* Excellent communication skills
* Creative problem-solver and critical thinker
* Effective influencer
* Must have desire to review / create efficiencies in processes
* People-person, able to easily forge relationships with key-stakeholders