Company Overview
Jesta I.S. is a leading supplier of ERP software for the apparel, footwear, and soft-goods industries. Our global client base includes many recognizable brands and continues to grow. We are seeking a Senior Planning Solutions Consultant to join our Professional Services team in Montreal.
Position Summary
The Senior Planning Solutions Consultant serves as Jesta I.S.'s senior expert in retail planning, financial modeling, and planning logic across the Vision Suite platform. This role leads full lifecycle planning implementations, translating complex retail business requirements into accurate system configurations and enterprise-grade financial planning models.
The position designs end-to-end merchandise financial planning frameworks, guides clients through pre-season and in-season planning cycles, and delivers analytical insights that improve forecast accuracy, margin performance, and inventory productivity.
As a trusted advisor to senior retail stakeholders, this role contributes to product roadmap direction, supports Sales and Pre-Sales in planning-focused initiatives, and drives continuous improvement across client planning operations. Internally, the role provides leadership within Professional Services by mentoring team members and elevating planning best practices across the organization.
Responsibilities
Implementation Leadership
- Lead full lifecycle implementations of planning modules: discovery โ future-state design โ configuration โ testing โ training โ deployment โ post-go-live optimization.
- Convert complex retail planning requirements into functional specs, system logic, configuration settings, and integration requirements.
- Ensure enterprise-grade project delivery by completing all planning artifacts on time, within scope, and at high quality standards.
Subject Matter Expertise
- Serve as SME for retail planning logic including cost/retail relationships, cost method calculations, OTB structures, seasonal curves, MU/MUR rules, inventory valuation methods, and forecasting models.
- Architect end-to-end merchandise financial planning models within Jesta I.S.'s Vision Suite, aligned to enterprise cycles and channel-specific needs.
- Perform gap analyses and design system-driven solutions for multi-channel, multi-currency, and multi-region planning environments.
Client Strategy & Advisory
- Lead executive-level workshops on planning strategy, financial models, and planning calendar design.
- Guide clients through pre-season planning, in-season reforecasting, forward planning, demand adjustments, margin optimization, and markdown governance.
- Analyze KPIs (sell-through, GM%, forecast accuracy, receipts flow, inventory turnover, weeks of supply, margin contribution) and deliver data-driven recommendations.
System Configuration & Optimization
- Configure and optimize Planning, Allocation, Replenishment, and Financial Planning modules within Vision Suite to support scalable multi-season cycles.
- Validate model logic and ensure configurations reflect industry best practices and evolving retail planning methodologies.
Product Collaboration
- Partner with Product Management to shape roadmap enhancements, validate new planning algorithms, and provide industry insight aligned with platforms such as Mi9, Aptos, SAP, and Blue Yonder.
- Represent the Planning practice in cross-functional initiatives involving architecture, integrations, QA testing, and customer success programs.
Sales & Pre-Sales Enablement
- Support Sales and Pre-Sales on planning-focused opportunities through scope definition, demos, solution mapping, and planning-related RFP responses.
Training, Enablement & Documentation
- Deliver advanced training to planning teams across finance, buying, allocation, and inventory functions.
- Develop planning model design documents, configuration guides, integration maps, UAT scripts, and best-practice playbooks.
Leadership & Internal Knowledge Growth
- Mentor consultants and analysts to strengthen internal planning expertise within Professional Services.
- Promote knowledge sharing and elevate organizational best practices in merchandising planning.
Qualifications
Education & training
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Finance, Retail Management or related field.
- Coursework or certificate in merchandise financial planning, forecasting, or analytics is an asset.
Experience
- 8+ years of progressive experience in merchandise planning, financial planning, forecasting, allocation or inventory planning within retail (apparel/footwear/soft-goods preferred).
- Hands-on experience configuring or implementing merchandising / planning modules in ERP/retail suites or working tightly with ERP configuration teams. Exposure to enterprise platforms (e.g., Oracle, Blue Yonder, SAP) is a strong plus.
- Strong analytical skills - advanced Excel (Power Pivot, macros), familiarity with SQL or BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) and the ability to interpret large sell-through and inventory datasets.
- Client-facing experience with excellent workshop facilitation, executive presentation and documentation skills.
- Practical understanding of planning math (financial vs cost method), OTB structures, seasonal curves, markdown models and allocation/replenishment logic.
- Experience in professional services or implementation delivery is an advantage.
Skills & abilities
- Expert-level understanding of merchandise financial planning, retail & cost method planning, and planning formulas.
- Ability to architect planning structures, hierarchies, measures, rules, and workflows.
- Strong technical aptitude to understand ERP configuration logic.
- Excellent problem solving, attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication; able to translate complex planning logic into clear requirements and user guidance.
- Comfortable working autonomously on multi-phase projects and mentoring junior teammates.
- Ability to manage competing priorities and deliver on time in a project environment.
- English proficiency is required for international collaboration and global client engagement.
Benefits
- Health coverage (medical, dental, disability, and life insurance)
- Wellness program (gym membership reimbursement)
- Professional growth (training platforms, career development fee subsidy, etc.)
- Company events
- Referral program
- Flexible schedule
Additional Information
- This is a hybrid/remote role (in Canada or in the USA); for candidates that are located in Montreal, QC, 2 days working in the office is required.
- We thank all applicants for their interest. However, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Prรฉsentation de l'entreprise
Jesta I.S. est un fournisseur de premier plan de logiciels ERP pour les industries de l'habillement, de la chaussure et des biens de consommation. Notre clientรจle mondiale comprend de nombreuses marques reconnues et ne cesse de croรฎtre. Nous recherchons un(e) Consultant(e) principal(e) en solutions de planification pour rejoindre notre รฉquipe Support Client ร Montrรฉal.
Rรฉsumรฉ du poste
Le ou la Consultant(e) principal(e) en solutions de planification agit ร titre d'expert(e) principal(e) chez Jesta I.S. en planification de dรฉtail, modรฉlisation financiรจre et logique de planification au sein de la plateforme Vision Suite. Ce rรดle dirige des implantations complรจtes de solutions de planification, en traduisant des besoins d'affaires complexes du commerce de dรฉtail en configurations systรจme prรฉcises et en modรจles de planification financiรจre de niveau entreprise.
La personne conรงoit des cadres de planification financiรจre marchandise de bout en bout, accompagne les clients dans leurs cycles de planification prรฉ-saison et en cours de saison, et fournit des analyses stratรฉgiques visant ร amรฉliorer la prรฉcision des prรฉvisions, la performance des marges et la productivitรฉ des stocks.
ร titre de conseiller(รจre) de confiance auprรจs des dirigeants du commerce de dรฉtail, elle contribue ร l'orientation de la feuille de route produit, appuie les รฉquipes des ventes et de la prรฉvente dans les initiatives liรฉes ร la planification et favorise l'amรฉlioration continue des opรฉrations de planification chez les clients. ร l'interne, ce rรดle exerce un leadership au sein des Services professionnels en mentorant les membres de l'รฉquipe et en renforรงant les meilleures pratiques en planification ร l'รฉchelle de l'organisation.
Responsabilitรฉs
Leadership d'implantation
- Diriger des implantations complรจtes de modules de planification : dรฉcouverte โ conception de l'รฉtat futur โ configuration โ tests โ formation โ dรฉploiement โ optimisation post-mise en production.
- Traduire des exigences complexes en planification de dรฉtail en spรฉcifications fonctionnelles, logique systรจme, paramรจtres de configuration et besoins d'intรฉgration.
- Assurer une exรฉcution de projet de calibre entreprise en livrant l'ensemble des livrables de planification dans les dรฉlais, selon la portรฉe dรฉfinie et conformรฉment ร des standards รฉlevรฉs de qualitรฉ.
Expertise fonctionnelle (SME)
- Agir ร titre d'expert(e) en logique de planification de dรฉtail, incluant les relations coรปt/dรฉtail, les calculs en mรฉthode coรปt, les structures OTB, les courbes saisonniรจres, les rรจgles MU/MUR, les mรฉthodes d'รฉvaluation des stocks et les modรจles de prรฉvision.
- Concevoir des modรจles de planification financiรจre marchandise de bout en bout au sein de la Jesta I.S. Vision Suite, alignรฉs aux cycles d'entreprise et aux exigences propres ร chaque canal.
- Rรฉaliser des analyses d'รฉcarts et concevoir des solutions systรจme adaptรฉes ร des environnements multi-canaux, multi-devises et multi-rรฉgions.
Stratรฉgie et accompagnement client
- Animer des ateliers exรฉcutifs portant sur la stratรฉgie de planification, les modรจles financiers et la conception des calendriers de planification.
- Accompagner les clients dans la planification prรฉ-saison, la re-prรฉvision en saison, la planification prospective, les ajustements de la demande, l'optimisation des marges et la gouvernance des dรฉmarques.
- Analyser les indicateurs clรฉs (รฉcoulement des ventes, marge brute %, prรฉcision des prรฉvisions, flux de rรฉceptions, rotation des stocks, semaines d'approvisionnement, contribution ร la marge) et formuler des recommandations basรฉes sur les donnรฉes.
Configuration et optimisation des systรจmes
- Configurer et optimiser les modules de planification, d'allocation, de rรฉapprovisionnement et de planification financiรจre dans Vision Suite afin de soutenir des cycles multi-saisons รฉvolutifs.
- Valider la logique des modรจles et assurer que les configurations respectent les meilleures pratiques de l'industrie et les mรฉthodologies de planification en รฉvolution.
Collaboration produit
- Collaborer avec la gestion de produit pour orienter l'รฉvolution de la feuille de route, valider de nouveaux algorithmes de planification et fournir une perspective marchรฉ en lien avec des plateformes telles que Mi9, Aptos, SAP et Blue Yonder.
- Reprรฉsenter la pratique Planification dans des initiatives transversales touchant l'architecture, les intรฉgrations, les tests QA et les programmes de succรจs client.
Soutien aux ventes et ร la prรฉvente
- Appuyer les รฉquipes Ventes et Prรฉvente dans les opportunitรฉs liรฉes ร la planification : dรฉfinition de la portรฉe, dรฉmonstrations, cartographie des solutions et rรฉponses aux appels d'offres (RFP).
Formation, accompagnement et documentation
- Offrir des formations avancรฉes aux รฉquipes de planification (finance, achats, allocation, gestion des stocks).
- Produire la documentation complรจte : modรจles de conception, guides de configuration, schรฉmas d'intรฉgration, scripts UAT et guides de meilleures pratiques.
Leadership et dรฉveloppement des connaissances internes
- Encadrer les consultant(e)s et analystes afin de renforcer l'expertise interne en planification au sein des Services professionnels.
- Favoriser le partage des connaissances et l'amรฉlioration continue des meilleures pratiques organisationnelles en planification marchandise.
Qualifications
Formation
- Baccalaurรฉat en administration des affaires, gestion de la chaรฎne d'approvisionnement, finance, gestion du commerce de dรฉtail ou domaine connexe.
- Formation complรฉmentaire ou certificat en planification financiรจre marchandise, prรฉvision ou analytique (atout).
Expรฉrience
- Minimum de 8 ans d'expรฉrience progressive en planification marchandise, planification financiรจre, prรฉvision, allocation ou gestion des stocks dans le secteur du commerce de dรฉtail (expรฉrience en habillement, chaussure ou produits souples privilรฉgiรฉe).
- Expรฉrience concrรจte en configuration ou implantation de modules de planification dans des solutions ERP/retail ou collaboration รฉtroite avec des รฉquipes de configuration ERP. Une exposition ร des plateformes d'envergure telles que Oracle, Blue Yonder ou SAP constitue un atout majeur.
- Solides compรฉtences analytiques - Excel avancรฉ (Power Pivot, macros), connaissance de SQL ou d'outils BI (Power BI, Tableau) et capacitรฉ ร interprรฉter de grands ensembles de donnรฉes de ventes et d'inventaire.
- Expรฉrience client avec excellente capacitรฉ d'animation d'ateliers, de prรฉsentation exรฉcutive et de rรฉdaction fonctionnelle.
- Maรฎtrise des concepts mathรฉmatiques de planification (mรฉthode financiรจre vs mรฉthode coรปt), structures OTB, courbes saisonniรจres, modรจles de dรฉmarques et logique d'allocation/rรฉapprovisionnement.
- Expรฉrience en services professionnels ou en livraison d'implantations (atout).
Compรฉtences et aptitudes
- Expertise approfondie en planification financiรจre marchandise, mรฉthode dรฉtail et mรฉthode coรปt, ainsi qu'en formules de planification.
- Capacitรฉ ร concevoir des structures, hiรฉrarchies, indicateurs, rรจgles et flux de travail de planification.
- Forte aptitude technique pour comprendre la logique de configuration ERP.
- Excellentes compรฉtences en rรฉsolution de problรจmes, souci du dรฉtail et sens de l'organisation.
- Excellentes habiletรฉs de communication รฉcrite et orale, avec capacitรฉ ร vulgariser des concepts complexes en e...