Planning Specialist

About the Role

Ninja is seeking a Planning Specialist to join the Planning & Fulfilment department in Riyadh Province. This full-time role focuses on developing and managing manpower capacity plans for dark store operations, translating forecasted demand and store requirements into efficient shift-level manpower plans. The specialist will work to optimize utilization and minimize Cost Per Order (CPO) by ensuring appropriate staffing levels for each shift.

Role Context and Reporting

The Planning Specialist will be a key member of the Manpower Planning team, reporting directly to the Planning Manager. This position involves close collaboration with Operations Fulfilment, Store Management, Operations Performance, and Ground Operations teams. The role is primarily office-based in Riyadh, with regular visits to dark stores across the network required to monitor operations and planning accuracy.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop manpower capacity plans for each store, city, day, and shift, converting order forecasts into headcount requirements based on productivity standards and workload assumptions. Plans must be updated as demand or store conditions change.
• Create shift schedules that maximize manpower utilization and minimize CPO, considering labor regulations, contract hours, rest periods, staff availability, skills, third-party logistics (3PL) allocations, and store capacity.
• Liaise with the Operations Fulfilment team to confirm shift uploads and the deployment of planned headcount, resolving gaps and escalating blockers to the Planning Manager.
• Compare forecasted versus actual demand and planned versus actual staffing by store and shift, identifying root causes of deviations, implementing corrective actions, and reporting planning accuracy KPIs to the Planning Manager.
• Monitor daily staffing shortages across stores, flagging their impact and recovery options to the Fulfilment team and Store Management, and publishing daily shortage reports.
• Maintain planning models, trackers, and dashboards, and prepare weekly planning reports and recommendations for the Planning Manager.

Qualifications and Experience

• A Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, Statistics, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 2-5 years of experience in workforce planning, operations planning, or capacity planning within quick commerce, retail, or logistics sectors.
• Demonstrated experience in converting demand forecasts into staffing requirements and developing shift plans.
• Proficiency in shift scheduling and labor optimization under various constraints.
• Strong analytical skills, including experience with root cause analysis.
• Advanced Excel skills are required.
• Understanding of CPO drivers and labor cost structures.
• Ability to coordinate effectively with fulfilment and store teams to implement staffing plans.

Application Process

Candidates meeting the above qualifications are encouraged to apply for this full-time position in Riyadh.