Job Description

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As a Forecasting Analyst, you'll ensure the right stock is in the right place at the right time, working closely with stakeholders to drive customer satisfaction. In this role you will analyse and improve the accuracy of forecasts, collaborating with various stakeholders to develop and execute effective demand planning strategies. Using your commercial acumen and analytical skills, you'll support key functions to achieve sales, profit, margin, and stock targets. You'll also optimise stores and digital channels through performance analysis while contributing to an inclusive culture and sharing best practices across Commercial and Supply teams.
This is a 12 month fixed term contract/secondment role and will be based from our Coventry store support centre
What I am accountable for
Forecast analysis & intervention with judgment: Analyse and review forecast exceptions for all new and replenishment styles for both retail and online channels. Understand when its necessary to intervene and when not to intervene, allowing more informed decisions and avoid unnecessary disruptions in processes.
Forecast accuracy: Analyse forecast accuracy, including at the store level, reporting to identifying opportunities for improvement. Clearly summarizing opportunities to drive enhancements to forecasting accuracy.
Demand forecasting: Manage demand forecasting processes, ensure processes are completed in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner, supporting our financial, capacity, and replenishment planning needs, ultimately contributing to a smoother and more predictable workflow. Analyse forecasts and stock levels, take account of the season and trading environment, consider market trends and better anticipate changes in demand.
Performance analysis: Monitoring range and SKU level performance vs forecast, identifying exceptions and outliers adapting, revising or taking corrective action to improve the quality of the forward forecast. Analyse store specific department performance providing timely recommendations on grading of stock packages to Merchandising, Visual Communications and Retail.
Event & promotion planning: Ensure all future events, including campaign lines, promotions, and markdowns are known and have clear plans in place, ensure forecasts are aligned with plans and that stock depth is appropriate to space.
Range Launch Execution: On time delivery of new range launches, plinth ends and all event activity. Execute and measure Range launch with commercial, including parameter recommendations.
Availability Optimisation: Review Parameters and analyse data to see where availability can be maximised across all channels (including inter depot transfer)
Stock flow management: Manipulate department Replenishment parameters, managing the flow of clearance/DD stock to minimise markdown costs whilst maximising sales, stocks and availability. Work collaboratively with operational stakeholders to influence changes that will support availability and Quality of Stock Optimisation.
Continuous improvement: Identify examples of best practice and share improvements to A&R process across team. Identify opportunities and implement within department strategy.
Stock builds: Plan, execute and measure stock builds for new stores, extensions and refurbishments (with guidance from C5) in agreed time frames.
Cross functional collaboration: Work effectively with wider stakeholders and support cross-functional workstreams/projects to identify improvements to Forecasting and Replenishment systems or processes. Own, attend and contribute to cross functional LOAF meetings, ensuring full engagement of all stakeholders to ensure risk and opportunity are managed.
Store support: Ensure timely response to queries from stores via category mailboxes, pulling through and sharing emerging themes with cross-functional/commercial teams.
Deliver against financial targets and budgets: Key metrics include Sales, Profit, Margin & Markdown, Availability (Gross / Net margin %), Stock cover, store/sku forecasting, availability)
What I need to know
Essential

• Experience and working knowledge of multi-channel retailing within commercial, analytical, or operational disciplines such as Demand Forecasting, Merchandising & Supply Chain

• Strong understanding of customer demand forecast planning and forecasting methodologies

• Highly numerate with an ability to create, interpret and use data to drive and influence commercial decisions

• Ability to deal with ambiguity and ability to determine and evolve priorities at pace

• Ability to build new relationships and work collaboratively, whilst effectively influencing and communicating with a broad range of stakeholders

• Ability to deliver results to target, both as an individual and within a team

• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-moving dynamic retail environment

• Strong understanding of how different departments, channels and markets operate

• Product Lifecycle, knowledge of systemic levers and tools to execute the plan

• Highly computer literate, systems knowledge especially Excel and MS office

• Ability to simplify the challenges faced across categories and channels

• Identifies problems using knowledge to prioritise and develop practical solutions

• Open to trying new ideas or ways of doing things

• A tenacity to overcome people or process obstacles, addressing issues in an open and constructive way

• Identify and lead continuous improvement in your area.

• Role model the Sainsbury's values

• A strong ability to interpret data to make decisions

#LI-MS1
Responsibilities:
We'd all like amazing work to do, and real work/life balance. That's waiting for you right here. Supply Chain and Logistics are the engine room for getting thousands of products from farms and factories, through the business and to our millions of customers every day. We plan around events from barbecue weekends to Sunday roasts, and who wants oven-ready cauliflower cheese to those who prefer to make it from scratch. Insight and data are everything. But so is judgement - if there's an issue or ambiguity anywhere, we're the first to spot it. There's a big transformation going on. That calls for people who champion change, bring others with them, collaborate and communicate. Because those people can go a very long way.
Qualifications:
We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you'll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there's always the chance to try something new - whether that's as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we'll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:
Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 10% of salary, depending on how we perform.
Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an employee assistance programme.
Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks' pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks' pay for paternity leave.
Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).