At a Glance
- Tasks: Use data to optimise stock availability and improve inventory performance across Fashion, Home & Beauty.
- Company: Join M&S, a leader in retail innovation and customer service.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 20% discount, competitive holidays, and tailored training from day one.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of retail while making a real impact on stock management.
- Qualifications: Strong analytical skills and understanding of supply chain processes required.
The predicted salary is between 40500 - 49500 £ per year.
Our Supply Chain & Logistics colleagues are essential to delivering our huge range of Fashion, Home & Beauty products to our customers. We're innovating, using technology to push boundaries, and delivering an innovative logistics function. Join us on this remarkable journey as we shape the future of M&S!
Do you love using data to shape stock availability and inventory performance across every channel? Then we have the ideal role for you! As an Inventory Analytical Planner, you'll focus on balancing stock availability and sales across Fashion, Home & Beauty with operating cost across Supply Chain & Logistics and Retail Operations, using data, insight and supply chain planning principles to ensure stock is systemically distributed to the right channel, location and quantities. This will help minimise trapped stock, maximise demand weighted availability, improve inventory turns and support efficient stock flow across all channels.
We are looking for someone with a strong understanding of inventory and supply chain planning within a retail environment, or a similar fast-paced, product-led business, who can use data, insight and strong commercial awareness to support better stock decisions and improve inventory performance.
Your key accountabilities will include:
- Manage stock placement across Fashion, Home & Beauty to meet customer demand and maximise demand weighted availability across stores and ecommerce
- Deliver product segmentation analysis, monitoring and authorising movement between segments to support the right stock holding at size-location level
- Validate VM and Presentation settings, review top-down and bottom-up stock projections, and recommend actions to close gaps
- Complete analysis and modelling to inform replenishment optimisation, including pick frequency, best-fit replenishment strategy and delivery schedule changes
- Generate reporting and insight to improve stock health, EDC occupancy, inventory turns, plan accuracy and DC utilisation
- Support promotional, peak and new launch stock builds through timely and accurate allocations, while responding to trade and adjusting inventory parameters where needed
Your skills and experience will include:
- Strong understanding of inventory planning, supply chain planning, replenishment principles and end-to-end supply chain processes, with the ability to balance stock availability, service, inventory investment and operating cost
- Proven analytical capability, using data and insight to identify opportunities, solve complex problems and translate analysis into clear, actionable recommendations that improve stock flow, availability and inventory productivity
- Experience working with planning and replenishment systems, including JDA or Blue Yonder, alongside advanced Excel skills to manipulate, model and interpret large data sets
- Strong commercial awareness and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to challenge, influence and build effective relationships across Supply Chain, Logistics, Retail and Commercial teams
- Highly organised with strong attention to detail and a proactive continuous improvement mindset, able to manage multiple priorities accurately in a fast-paced environment
Working at M&S means being part of something bigger - helping to deliver quality, value and service to millions of customers every day. We're inclusive, fast-moving and always evolving, with a strong sense of purpose and a focus on doing the right thing.
Here are just a few of the benefits that make working here even more rewarding:
- 20% colleague discount on all M&S products and many third-party brands for you and someone in your household, available once you've completed your probation
- Competitive holiday allowance with the option to buy more
- Discretionary bonus schemes linked to your performance and ours
- Strong pension and life assurance to help plan for the future
- Tailored induction and training to support your development from day one
- Exclusive perks and savings through our M&S Choices portal
- Market-leading family policies, including parental, adoption and neonatal leave
- 24/7 wellbeing support, including virtual GP access and mental health services
- One paid volunteer day a year to support a cause that matters to you
Marks & Spencer strives to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers and suppliers. Join us and make change happen. We are committed to building diverse and representative teams, where everyone can bring their whole selves to work and be at their best. We support each other and work together to win together.
If you feel you'd benefit from any support or reasonable adjustments during any stage of the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to let us know when completing your application. This information will be picked up by our team, so we can try and put steps in place to help you be at your best through this process.
Inventory Analytical Planner employer: Marks and Spencer
Marks and Spencer is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, particularly within the Corporate HR technology team. Employees benefit from a supportive environment that prioritises professional growth and development, alongside competitive remuneration and benefits. Working in a dynamic location, you will have the opportunity to lead impactful projects that enhance the colleague experience throughout their journey with the company.
