Merchandise Planning Analyst

About Us

At Olsam, we are on a mission to grow brands and develop products that customers love, trust, and value.  We specialize in acquiring and scaling category-leading brands, unlocking their full potential by expanding them across international marketplaces and channels, streamlining operations, and driving product innovation.  

With a fantastic team across three continents and 15 nationalities, we bring together over 50 years of e-commerce expertise. We’re not just building brands, we’re shaping the future of global consumer goods. We are looking for ambitious, driven individuals to be part of it.  Ready to make an impact? Let’s talk. 

Your Role at a Glance

As a Merchandise Planning Analyst at Olsam, you will play a crucial role in strengthening our end-to-end inventory planning processes and driving strategic inventory efficiency. This is a key strategic role that spans all brands and sales channels, playing a vital part in driving brand growth, improving working capital efficiency, and supporting operational scalability as we continue our rapid expansion. 

This role is ideal for someone with strong experience in demand planning or merchandising and a strategic, analytical mindset, who is excited to work in a fast paced, growing start up with a talented team. Your core focus will be demand forecasting and purchase planning, working closely with the Merchandise Planning Manager and Brand Managers to ensure our brands are consistently stocked to support growth. You will take ownership of optimising inventory flow end to end, from suppliers in China to our 3PL warehouses and ultimately to Amazon FBA. 

Location & Flexibility 

• Full-time, permanent role based at our modern office in Runway East, London

• 40 hours per week, 9 am to 6 pm with a one-hour lunch 

• This position is hybrid, with the expectation to go to the office 2 days per week

Key responsibilities

• Develop and maintain sales forecasts by partnering with Brand Managers to account for seasonality, promotions, and growth plans 

• Monitor forecast accuracy by tracking actual sales vs. plan and highlighting key trends or outliers 

• Build and update inventory purchase plans in collaboration with Procurement to meet forecasted demand 

• Manage the PO process and timelines with Procurement to ensure timely stock availability 

• Support inventory-related cash flow planning with the Merchandise Planning & Procurement Manager 

• Monitor overall inventory health, escalating overstock or understock risks and coordinating timely deliveries 

• Maintain and share key inventory KPIs, providing visibility across functions 

• Lead cross-functional communication and manage one direct report to optimise inventory across 3PL, Amazon, and in-transit locations 

About you

• 3+ years' experience Demand Planning and/or Merchandise Planning, ideally within an ecommerce or marketplace environment 

• Strong analytical and forecasting skills, with exceptional attention to numerical accuracy and a highly numerate mindset 

• Highly proficient in MS Excel and other analytical tools 

• Strong commercial mindset, able to understand tradeoffs and working capital impact 

• Experience managing small teams is desirable 

• Experience managing purchasing and/or sales budgets 

• Excellent communication and coordination skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally across all levels of the business 

Perks & Benefits

• Competitive Salary: up to £50,000 per year

• 30 days holiday + 8 UK bank holidays 

• Pension contribution Scheme – 5% from you, 3% from us. 

• Private Medical Insurance – Includes travel, vision & dental (through Vitality) 

• Work from Abroad – One month per year, anywhere in the world* 

• Bonus Scheme – Discretionary bonus, based on individual and company performance 

• Mental Health Support – Free, confidential therapy via Spill 

• Opportunity for International Travel – Our team members have been to New York, Vegas, Amsterdam… and Birmingham! 

• Flexi-Fridays – Finish early one Friday per month 

• Olstar Events – Quarterly meetups, celebrations & socials 

• Vibrant Office – Runway East, Bloomsbury 

Olsam is proud to be a disability-committed employer registered in the UK. If you identify as having a disability and meet all of the criteria set out in the job description, we would like to support you through the interview stage. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive work environment where all employees and applicants can flourish.

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