Merchandise & OTB Planning Manager

The Merchandise & OTB Planning Manager is responsible for translating business sales forecasts into actionable merchandise investment plans.

Working closely with Merchandising, Finance and Retail Operations, the role will develop rolling 18-month merchandise plans, manage Open-to-Buy (OTB), recommend category investment strategies, monitor inventory productivity, and provide commercial insight to support buying decisions.

The role is accountable for ensuring inventory investment aligns with business objectives while maximizing sales, gross margin and stock productivity.

This is an exciting opportunity for a Merchandise & OTB Planning professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment and wants to play a critical role in scaling two rapidly expanding retail brands in the Philippines.

Key Responsibilities

1. Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP)

• Develop and maintain the annual Merchandise Financial Plan.
• Build and manage a rolling 18-month merchandise plan.
• Translate sales forecasts into inventory investment requirements.
• Develop seasonal merchandise budgets by category and sub-category.
• Review and update financial plans based on changing business performance.

2. Open-to-Buy (OTB) Management

• Own the rolling Open-to-Buy process across all merchandise categories.
• Determine monthly and seasonal purchasing budgets.
• Monitor OTB utilization and recommend adjustments.
• Ensure buying decisions remain within approved financial parameters.
• Produce regular OTB reports for senior management.

3. Merchandise Investment Planning

Develop investment strategies across:

• Men's
• Women's
• Beauty

As the business grows, further allocate investment across sub-categories such as:

• Tops
• Bottoms
• Outerwear
• Dresses
• Accessories
• Footwear

Recommend optimal investment levels based on:

• Sales performance
• Inventory productivity
• Gross margin
• Seasonality
• Customer demand
• Develop and execute the IT strategy supporting ACX Retail's growth plans.
• Build a scalable technology roadmap aligned with business priorities.
• Establish IT governance, policies, and technology standards.
• Ensure all systems support future multi-brand and multi-store expansion.

4. Inventory Planning & Management

Monitor and optimize:

• Stock cover
• Weeks of supply
• Inventory turn
• Sell-through
• Intake planning
• Exit inventory
• Markdown requirements

Recommend actions to maximize inventory productivity while minimizing stock risk.

5. Sales & Commercial Analysis

Partner with Merchandising to analyse:

• Sales trends
• Category performance
• Best sellers
• Slow movers
• Gross margin performance
• Stock productivity
• Inventory health

Provide commercial recommendations to improve financial performance.

6. Business Forecasting

Maintain rolling forecasts for:

• Sales
• Inventory
• Purchases
• Gross Margin
• Ending Inventory
• Cash requirements

Continuously update plans based on actual trading performance.

7. Buying Partnership

Work closely with the Head of Merchandising to determine:

• How much to buy
• When to buy
• Which categories require additional investment
• Which categories require reduced investment
• Inventory exit strategies

Provide commercial recommendations while supporting the merchandising vision.

8. Reporting & Analytics

Develop dashboards covering:

• Open-to-Buy
• Sales vs Plan
• Gross Margin
• Stock Turn
• Weeks of Cover
• Inventory Ageing
• Markdown Forecast
• Category Performance

Present regular business reviews to senior management.

9. Cross Functional Collaboration

Partner closely with:

• Merchandising
• Finance
• Retail Operations
• Supply Chain
• Logistics
• Marketing
• Visual Merchandising

Ensure inventory investment aligns with commercial priorities.

Functional Competencies

• Merchandise Financial Planning
• Open-to-Buy (OTB)
• Retail Analytics
• Inventory Management
• Commercial Planning
• Financial Modelling
• Forecasting
• Business Partnering
• Strategic Thinking
• Decision Making
• Stakeholder Management
• Retail Technology
• ERP & POS Systems
• Systems Integration
• Omnichannel Technology
• IT Project Management
• Vendor Management
• Cybersecurity
• Business Process Improvement
• Data & Analytics
• Leadership
• Stakeholder Management

Education and Work Background

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Retail Management, Finance, Economics or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in Merchandise Planning or Merchandise Financial Planning within a fashion or specialty retail business.
• Strong understanding of Open-to-Buy (OTB) planning and Merchandise Financial Planning (MFP).
• Experience managing inventory investment across multiple merchandise categories.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Experience using retail planning systems is an advantage.
• Strong analytical and commercial mindset.
• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Information Systems, or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years' experience in IT, including at least 5 years supporting retail operations.
• Proven experience implementing retail technology solutions.
• Strong understanding of retail business processes.
• Experience managing ERP, POS, OMS, and retail system integrations.
• Experience leading technology projects and vendor management.
• Strong commercial and business partnering skills.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Financial Planning

• OTB adherence
• Merchandise budget accuracy
• Forecast accuracy
• Inventory investment productivity

Inventory

• Stock Turn
• Weeks of Supply
• Stock Cover
• Ending Inventory vs Plan
• Inventory Age

Commercial

• Category Sales Performance
• Gross Margin %
• Gross Margin Return on Inventory Investment (GMROII)
• Sell-through %
• Markdown %

Business Performance

• Forecast Accuracy
• Sales vs Plan
• Inventory Productivity
• Cash Flow Optimization

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Life insurance

Work Location: In person