Associate Demand Planning Manager, HOKA Retail

This role is responsible for both pre-season and in-season planning for HOKA Retail (concept stores and outlets) channel by collaborating with cross-functions to maximize sales opportunity and minimize inventory risk. This role is accountable for Retail financial results by working on sales plan and OTB for different milestones (MFP, GTM2, Brand Conference, and In-season) into different levels (gender/class, style-color-size), with support in key KPIs management (sales, margin, ST %).

35%
Pre-season Planning

• Support brand team on LRP (long range plan) and MFP (merchandising finance plan) build-up by providing Retail channel business insights.
• Set financial framework and targets on season / product mix for Retail channel to support channel strategy and brand structure. 
• Lead and develop division, department and class level plans and share tops down strategy, gaining alignment with Merchants, Channel Leads, and BU head.
• Work out bottoms up style-color level sales and buy plans (size level) via statistical, heuristic and AI forecasting models, incorporating regular price and markdown analysis, according to the assortment prepared by channel merchandisers.
• Ensure alignment/reconciliation between tops down and bottoms up plans through middle out process.
• Take ownership on both detail level planning in different milestones (GTM2, Brand Conference, local tradeshow and buy window) and high level OTB (Open-to-Buy) planning for Retail channel.
• Partner with Inventory Planning to ensure supply meets demand needs.

35%
In-season Planning and Execution

• Responsible for OTB Tops Down forecasting.
• Work out Bottoms Up re-forecasting, to ensure optimal inventory position. React to trends, drop when excess, and chase when more is needed.
• Review any risks to financial plan with DTC Merchants and Retail team. Determine action plans to de-risk or stimulate sales.
• Partners with DTC merchants on Retail sell through performance tracking, for their actions to maximize sales potential, improve productivity of inventory, and maximize DTC sell-thru.
• Provide monthly rolling sales forecast to indicate channel sales trends and identify business opportunities or risks for reactions.
• Maintain Retail demand plan in demand forecasting tool for both systematic demand awareness to cross functions and ensuring data flow to supply planning tool successfully.
• Guide allocators on allocation execution by providing demand awareness.

20%    Process and Communication

• Lead and take the ownership on monthly Retail demand review process.
• Participate in monthly S&OP meeting.
• Align Retail demand plan with DTC merchants, channel leads and BU head, and get sign-off for official demand publish.
• Support merchants on seasonal investment review process.
•  Provide Retail business insights to influence merchants on assortment and product structure, and allocation team on allocation execution.

10%    Reporting and Continuous Improvement

• Digitalize way of working by leveraging reporting and planning tools to improve working efficiency.
• Continuously improve working process (demand review, S&OP, demand sign-off, etc…) to collaborating with key stakeholders.