Posting End Date: February 4, 2025 Join John Lewis or Waitrose today If you've ever stepped through the doors of a John Lewis or Waitrose shop, shopped online, or seen any of our adverts, you'll know there's something unique about us. That unique proposition is our Partners. As co-owners they have a say in our business and receive a share of the profits, so they put time and effort into making it work. Our Partners are the reason we're the success we are. They're our secret sauce; the opportunity for us to differentiate. Job Summary: We have a great opportunity to join the Waitrose Supply Chain team as a Planning Manager in the beers, ciders, wines, spirits and soft drinks department. A key part of this role will be to set the stock replenishment plan and objectives to achieve the critical balance between availability, wastage and stockholding for the Category Proposition Group, and continually refine the plan in light of changes to the trade plan, customer behaviour, promotional activity, and external influences such as competitors, weather, and significant external events which influence customers. Use high commercial awareness and understanding of trade and customer strategies, together with breadth of end to end supply chain knowledge, to influence Heads of CPG, suppliers, retail, distribution and customer teams in ensuring delivery of the plan, and to ensure the plan delivers broader CPG strategic goals and shared KPIs. The qualified candidate will lead the Merchandising team in their own area to deliver all elements of the stock replenishment plan, ensuring that they individually and collectively play a full part in the growth of the CPG, and that the critical balance between availability, wastage and stock holding is ensured. Job Description: At a glance Salary range - £49,600 - £74,900 Contract type - Secondment (Internal) / Fixed-term contract (External) with an end date of 18/11/2026 Work Pattern - 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday core hours Location: Home location of Bracknell with occasional travel to our Pimlico office. You may be required to complete site visits throughout the year Some of your key responsibilities include but not limited to: Effective performance management of your team Working collaboratively with managers across Trading, Supply Chain, Online, Space & Range, Forecasting and Retail to support continuous operational improvement in the end to end supply chain, delivering operational skills and consistent availability. Contributing to the Partner Succession Plan, developing talent to ensure a steady flow of skilled Partners to meet the growing and ever changing demands of Merchandising Growing engagement with suppliers to make operational and commercial improvements in the end to end supply chain, including changes to the operating model Identifying and consistently supporting risks to correct outcome; monitoring progress and taking prompt corrective action as appropriate with the relevant stakeholders Working collaboratively with and influencing the Head of Category Proposition Group to attain common KPIs. Collaborating with the Head of Category Proposition Group to set and review targets and define activity plans at a category level to meet financial budgets and joint Trading Team KPIs. Inspiring, motivating and developing a proficient team to deliver agreed plans and goals and to embody behaviours in line with the Partnership’s values and principles Identifying Continuous Improvement opportunities and supporting the implementation of process improvements. Setting Planner & Service Coordinator - appropriate KPI metrics to deliver individual and Category Proposition targets. Performance review of key Category Proposition Group promotions, deals and events to optimise KPIs. Appropriate reporting and analysis on KPIs. Qualifications and Experience skills you’ll need: Experience of working in a merchandising/planning role. Evidence of managing high performing team Evidence of affecting outcomes to fulfill strategic plans Evidence of managing internal and external stakeholders, suppliers and customer relationships. Experience using merchandising and logistical planning tools. Experience in collating, analysing and interpreting data. Desirable Skills Experience in using Snowflake and Tableau. Experience in beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks category. Pay: £49,600.00 - £74,900.00 Annual Scheduled Weekly hours: 35 Worker Type: Secondee (Fixed Term) Job Level: Partnership Level 6 Hours of Work: 35 hours a week, Monday to Friday core hours At the John Lewis Partnership, we embrace our differences. We want you to be you. Because, well, we know you're at your best when you're free to be yourself. Being a truly inclusive employer to us means creating an environment which celebrates your contribution, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, social background, religion or belief. It's why we've set our own aim to become the UK’s most inclusive business - for our Partners (employees) and our customers. We firmly believe that our future success lies in diversity of thought from all Partners and it's integral in our mission to build a happier world. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us. And, once you're a Partner, your differences will make all the difference. Find out more about D&I in the Partnership here. We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where it is possible to do so. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. https://embed.wirewax.com/8114190