Resource Planning Specialist

Job Introduction
We are currently recruiting for a Resource Planning Specialist to join our Retail Central Operations Team. We are looking for an experienced operator with a keen eye for detail who will provide support and assistance to all business functions in developing, calculating, and deploying store wages. The Resource Planning Specialist will be responsible for managing and enhancing cardfactory's Labour Model. In addition to challenging current ways of working, your expertise will enable you to enhance innovative thinking, drive continuous improvement, and support the delivery of our 5-year strategy.

Main Responsibilities
Enables Productivity:

- Scopes, tests, builds and maintains the labour model for the business, delivering accurate and timely Wage Forecasts for the Annual Business Plan and Quarterly Forecasts.
- Reconciles the wage forecast and presents impacts/findings for signoff
- Drives focus on cost and manages the store hours on a weekly/monthly and year to date basis working with the Field and store teams to develop understanding of the Labour Model calculations
- Supports with the sourcing and delivery of new Labour standards

Labour Modelling:

- Investigates, sources and implements new technology that improves the labour management process

Drives Customer Focus in Store:

- Calculates the implications of business process changes on store hours and provides data to the Business Change Specialists

Maximising Sales:

- Collaborates with the Commercial/Finance teams to understand the upcoming change programme
- evolves in-store processes to support the changing needs of the business and challenges back to deliver on the “easier for colleague” promise

Continuous Improvement:

- Supports Business Change Specialists & Labour Productivity Partner to ensure change is landed right first time by working cross-functionally with the Training, HR, Commercial, Retail and Central Operations teams
- Works with the Productivity Business Partner to ensure that costs are fully accounted for and understood
- Partners with the business to deliver the Operating Model elements of the 5-year strategy including expanding/reviewing current initiatives

Reports:

- Provides weekly, quarterly, and YTD expenditure reports to senior management, including the cost to serve by store
- Identifies cost-saving opportunities within the hours plans and presents them to the Business Change Specialist for review
- Creates reports which enable the retail Field team to clearly manage their weekly/monthly and YTD targets and budgets.
- Develops reports that support Store Managers in making clear business decisions, maintaining costs, and achieving service standards

Store KPI’s:

- Supports Senior Retail Field Managers in identifying store KPI's through cross-functional collaboration with Training, HR, Commercial, Finance, Retail and Central Operations
- Creates and reports on Store Manager's KPI's, managing the process to ensure reports are clear, concise, and accurate, in order to help the Retail Field Team make clear decisions regarding the performance of each Store Manager
- Able to use Office programs effectively, particularly Excel
- Understands retail operations
- Highly numerate and able to explain complicated ideas to others
- Manages to deadlines and deals with competing agendas
- Communicates clearly and in a timely manner
- Is organised and methodical
- Engaging, quick thinker, approachable actively encourages and actions upon feedback
- Experience in Industrial Engineering/ Productivity Services - Lean, Performance Rating, Activity Sampling, MOST
- IMS (Institute of Management Services) Productivity Analyst qualification/ IMS Certificate (preferred)

About The Company
Card Factory is the UK’s leading specialist retailer of greeting cards, dressings, and gifts with over one thousand stores across the UK and Ireland. In 2020 we launched our exciting 5-year business strategy including our vision of becoming a true Omni-channel retailer. This strategy sees significant investment into our colleagues across the business creating multiple opportunities to join a fast-paced environment and be part of our exciting journey.

In return, we offer a wide range of benefits to support your physical, mental, and financial well-being.

**Benefits**
- 15% Card Factory colleague discount in-store and online
- Save As You Earn scheme
- Financial Wellbeing Support
- Financial Education Tools
- Salary Advance
- Seasonal incentive schemes
- Retail Management Apprenticeship Programmes with local providers with access to a virtual internal network for learning together
- Discounted gym membership, mobile phone contracts, and car leasing
- Discounts across 100’s of UK retailers
- Employee Assistance Programme - access to tools to support mental, physical, and financial wellbeing
- Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, and Adoption leave

No agencies, please.