Business Controller

Business Controller

Reporting to: Commercial Director – Fashion

Territory Responsibility: Group Commercial

Direct Reports:

Key Stakeholders: Buyers, Visual Merchandisers, Planners & Traders, Finance, Retail Operations

Department: Commercial

Job Band:

What you will do:

PERFORMANCE & STOCK ANALYSIS

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  Identify the brand/s short-term needs through ongoing performance and stock analysis, covering sell-through, cover, ageing and availability
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  Build and lead longer-term action plans that anticipate the each store’s needs several seasons ahead, e.g. the summer product strategy and the clearance of winter product at the start of the year
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  Translate analysis into clear, actionable recommendations for buys, reorders, markdowns and assortment adjustments
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  Monitor slow-moving and excess inventory and propose intervention plans, balancing short-term stock health with the country's longer-term strategy

BUDGET, OPEN-TO-BUY & COMMITMENTS

Budget Ownership

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  Own and elaborate each brand’s seasonal and annual budget, building the Open-to-Buy (OTB) framework or Sales Forecasting process in partnership with respective Commercial and Finance teams
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  Translate top-down demand plans and sales targets into a fully phased purchase and commitment plan by category, store and month
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  Build and maintain the brand’s MPRs, commitment trackers, royalty payments, ensuring visibility of open orders, delivery phasing and financial exposure at every point in the season
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  Act as a second pair of eyes on the daily and weekly split of budget and commitments, providing a structured cross-check on figures before they are shared or actioned

OTB Management & Governance

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  Monitor actual purchases and commitments against budget, flagging risks early and recommending corrective action to protect margin and cash flow
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  Set the governance and cadence for OTB reviews with respective brand planners, Buyers and Retail Banner Managers, ensuring discipline around adjustments mid-season
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  Provide senior management with a clear, regularly updated view of budget utilization, commitment levels and forecast versus actual spend

PERMANENT CLEARANCE & MARKDOWN STRATEGY

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  Own the overall markdown strategy and clearance level for the country, defining and continuously adjusting the framework based on stock ageing, sell-through and market situation
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  Act as the escalation point on permanent clearance and sales: the local teams can move directly on markdown waves and rates, with this role providing support, feedback on proposals and sign-off where required
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  Train and upskill the local team on the KPIs, files and tools used to plan and monitor clearance, so decisions can increasingly be made locally with confidence
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  Go beyond simply applying discounted prices: write, own and manage the country's overall markdown level and link it explicitly to the current stock and trading situation, not just to a calendar
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  Review clearance proposals from the local team and provide structured feedback before waves are launched

COLLECTION, YEAR & SALES REVIEW

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  Lead the post-season collection review, consolidating sell-in, sell-out, margin and stock outcomes against the original plan
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  Lead the annual sales and performance review, summarizing the year's results, key drivers and lessons learned for senior stakeholders
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  Turn review findings into concrete recommendations for the next collection or year's budget, assortment and clearance strategy

AD HOC ANALYSES & BUSINESS PARTNERING

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  Respond to ad hoc requests for analysis from senior management, Buyers, Finance or Retail Operations, turning quick questions into clear, data-backed answers
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  Act as a trusted commercial and financial advisor to stakeholders, bringing a planning and trading lens to broader business questions
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  Support scenario analysis and financial modelling for new initiatives, promotions or strategic decisions

TEAM & STAKEHOLDER LEADERSHIP

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  Act as the senior point of contact for planning and trading across buying, planning, marketing, logistics and retail operations
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  Coach and support Planner(s) & Trader(s) as the team grows, sharing tools, KPIs and best practice
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  Assist the Planning Manager to test and scale new tools and ways of working across banners
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  Drive cross-functional projects aimed at improving planning and trading processes and delivering better business outcomes

How you will be measured:

Business Targets - Budget & Commitments

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  OTB adherence and budget utilization
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  Commitment accuracy and visibility (open orders vs. plan)
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  Phasing accuracy (intake vs. plan)
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  Forecast accuracy (sell-in and sell-out)

Business Targets - Clearance & Markdown

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  Overall country markdown level vs. target
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  Aged inventory %
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  Clearance sell-through and stock exit rate
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  Quality and turnaround of feedback provided on local clearance proposals

Business Targets - Performance & Stock

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  Stock turn by season/channel/category
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  Cover levels (weeks of cover at key periods)
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  Delivery of long-term action plans (e.g. summer strategy, winter clearance) on time

Stakeholder Engagement

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  Effective training and enablement of the local team on KPIs, files and clearance decision-making
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  Effective collaboration with Buyers and Traders to ensure accuracy of OTB and commitments
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  Quality and timeliness of collection/year review outputs and ad hoc analyses

Competencies required:

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  Strategic and financial planning
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  Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail
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  Problem solving skills
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  Self-motivated and comfortable owning ambiguous, high-stakes decisions
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  Coaching and team-development orientation
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  Strong collaboration skills / team player
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  Effective communication skills, including with senior stakeholders
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  Strong financial acumen, including budgeting and commitment management

What you will bring to the role:

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  Diploma / degree in business, finance, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
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  Significant previous experience (3-5+ years) as a Planner, Trader, or Business Controller within retail
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  Track record of owning budgets, OTB or commitment processes at country or category level
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  Experience defining or managing a markdown/clearance strategy, not just executing discounts
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  Proficient in planning and inventory management systems; strong Excel skills
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  Knowledge of pricing tools and analytics software is a plus
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  Experience coaching or mentoring junior team members is a plus