About this role
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
• Identify the brand/s short-term needs through ongoing performance and stock analysis, covering sell-through, cover, ageing and availability
• 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
• Translate analysis into clear, actionable recommendations for buys, reorders, markdowns and assortment adjustments
• 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
• 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
• Translate top-down demand plans and sales targets into a fully phased purchase and commitment plan by category, store and month
• 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
• 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
• Monitor actual purchases and commitments against budget, flagging risks early and recommending corrective action to protect margin and cash flow
• Set the governance and cadence for OTB reviews with respective brand planners, Buyers and Retail Banner Managers, ensuring discipline around adjustments mid-season
• Provide senior management with a clear, regularly updated view of budget utilization, commitment levels and forecast versus actual spend
PERMANENT CLEARANCE & MARKDOWN STRATEGY
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• Review clearance proposals from the local team and provide structured feedback before waves are launched
COLLECTION, YEAR & SALES REVIEW
• Lead the post-season collection review, consolidating sell-in, sell-out, margin and stock outcomes against the original plan
• Lead the annual sales and performance review, summarizing the year's results, key drivers and lessons learned for senior stakeholders
• Turn review findings into concrete recommendations for the next collection or year's budget, assortment and clearance strategy
AD HOC ANALYSES & BUSINESS PARTNERING
• Respond to ad hoc requests for analysis from senior management, Buyers, Finance or Retail Operations, turning quick questions into clear, data-backed answers
• Act as a trusted commercial and financial advisor to stakeholders, bringing a planning and trading lens to broader business questions
• Support scenario analysis and financial modelling for new initiatives, promotions or strategic decisions
TEAM & STAKEHOLDER LEADERSHIP
• Act as the senior point of contact for planning and trading across buying, planning, marketing, logistics and retail operations
• Coach and support Planner(s) & Trader(s) as the team grows, sharing tools, KPIs and best practice
• Assist the Planning Manager to test and scale new tools and ways of working across banners
• 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
• OTB adherence and budget utilization
• Commitment accuracy and visibility (open orders vs. plan)
• Phasing accuracy (intake vs. plan)
• Forecast accuracy (sell-in and sell-out)
Business Targets - Clearance & Markdown
• Overall country markdown level vs. target
• Aged inventory %
• Clearance sell-through and stock exit rate
• Quality and turnaround of feedback provided on local clearance proposals
Business Targets - Performance & Stock
• Stock turn by season/channel/category
• Cover levels (weeks of cover at key periods)
• Delivery of long-term action plans (e.g. summer strategy, winter clearance) on time
Stakeholder Engagement
• Effective training and enablement of the local team on KPIs, files and clearance decision-making
• Effective collaboration with Buyers and Traders to ensure accuracy of OTB and commitments
• Quality and timeliness of collection/year review outputs and ad hoc analyses
Competencies required:
• Strategic and financial planning
• Strong analytical mindset with attention to detail
• Problem solving skills
• Self-motivated and comfortable owning ambiguous, high-stakes decisions
• Coaching and team-development orientation
• Strong collaboration skills / team player
• Effective communication skills, including with senior stakeholders
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting and commitment management
What you will bring to the role:
• Diploma / degree in business, finance, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Significant previous experience (3-5+ years) as a Planner, Trader, or Business Controller within retail
• Track record of owning budgets, OTB or commitment processes at country or category level
• Experience defining or managing a markdown/clearance strategy, not just executing discounts
• Proficient in planning and inventory management systems; strong Excel skills
• Knowledge of pricing tools and analytics software is a plus
• Experience coaching or mentoring junior team members is a plus