Global Category Management Demand Planning Specialist

Job description

WHO WE ARE At Avolta (SIX: AVOL), our people are at the driving force behind our success. With a team of over 76,000 individuals representing more than 150 nationalities, we are a truly global company driven by passion, innovation, and excellence. Avolta is the leading global travel retail and food & beverage player, placing the traveler at the heart of everything we do. By combining travel retail, convenience and F&B, we create integrated and innovative experiences across the traveler’s journey. Our 77,000 team members deliver these experiences every day across more than 5,100 outlets in around 1,000 locations, including airports, motorways and other travel destinations, in over 70 countries. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE The Global Category Management Demand Planning Specialist supports the Produce category at a global level, driving accurate demand forecasting, sales and stock performance analysis, and effective inventory management across a luxury brands and stores. The role partners closely with Buying, Local Operations, and Finance to support seasonal Open‑to‑Buy (OTB) planning, optimize financial performance, manage stock risks, and improve forecasting accuracy through data‑driven insights and statistical modeling. The role reports to the Global Category Management Planning & Pricing Head and is based in Madrid, Spain. RESPONSIBILITIES Build and maintain sales and demand forecasts by brand, category, and store across short-, mid-, and long-term planning horizons Translate sales forecasts into seasonal Open-to-Buy (OTB), stock targets, and replenishment plans Produce and analyze financial KPI reports covering sales, margin, stock positions, weeks of supply (WOS), service levels, ageing stock, and forecast accuracy Generate dashboards and management reports to support weekly trade meetings, monthly reviews, and effective decision-making Partner with Buyers, Retail teams, Local Operations, and Finance to plan new launches, special projects, seasonal demand, and store openings Monitor terminal, slow-moving, ageing, and obsolete stock positions, proactively highlighting risks and opportunities Recommend and support proactive stock actions, including replenishments, transfers, returns to vendor (RTVs), markdown proposals, liquidation programs, and outlet clearance plans Propose cost initiatives and support provision accruals related to stock obsolescence, ensuring clearance targets are aligned with financial expectations Manage Never-Out-of-Stock (NOS) replenishment and support day-to-day demand control using statistical forecast models Continuously improve demand planning models, dashboards, and stock management processes by leveraging historical trends, seasonality, and client behavior WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR 1-2 years of experience in demand planning, merchandising planning, inventory planning, supply chain planning, or a similar analytical role Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data, identify trends, and support business decision-making Advanced Excel skills; experience with Power BI or other reporting tools is considered an advantage Exposure to forecasting, inventory management, replenishment, or retail planning processes is desirable Experience with planning systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Anaplan, or similar tools) is a plus Detail-oriented, highly organized, and comfortable working with large datasets Strong communication skills with the ability to present insights clearly to different stakeholders Collaborative, proactive, and eager to learn and develop within a fast-paced retail environment Fluent in English; additional languages are an asset Due to certain email system settings, some of our messages may occasionally land in your junk or spam folder. To ensure you don’t miss any important updates regarding your application, please check these folders regularly and mark our emails as ‘Not Spam’ if needed. We look forward to connecting with you soon!