Production Planning Assistant

Position Overview

The Product Planning Assistant plays a vital role in ensuring the smooth execution of product development, launch coordination, and market analysis. This position provides comprehensive support in managing timelines, documentation, supplier coordination, and market intelligence — bridging creative direction with commercial strategy.

The role requires a proactive individual who can balance administrative precision with an analytical understanding of product trends, consumer preferences, and competitive activity in the global fragrance market.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide direct administrative and operational assistance to the Director of Product Planning.
• Schedule and coordinate meetings, manage communication with internal teams and external suppliers.
• Maintain organized documentation for new and existing product lines, development stages, and approvals.
• Prepare weekly status updates, minutes of meetings, and launch readiness reports.
• Support in preparing and updating Product Master Plans, SKU lists, and launch calendars.
• Track progress of new fragrance development and packaging activities with R&D, Design, and Production.
• Follow up on fragrance briefs, prototype approvals, and artwork finalizations.
• Assist in compiling product briefs, sample evaluations, and cost comparisons for management review.
• Conduct ongoing market research on the latest perfume launches, packaging designs, and olfactory trends across global and regional markets.
• Monitor competitor activities — pricing, packaging, storytelling, and promotional strategies — and compile competitive benchmarking reports.
• Prepare monthly “What’s Trending” summaries highlighting hot-selling perfumes, new market entrants, and emerging scent profiles.
• Present research insights to the Director and support in integrating market trends into future product plans.
• Liaise with Procurement, Production, and Warehousing to monitor material readiness and production schedules.
• Track availability of bottles, caps, packaging components, and ensure readiness ahead of launch deadlines.
• Update production trackers and communicate bottlenecks or delays to management promptly.
• Maintain detailed databases for new and ongoing product launches.
• Generate analytical reports covering launch timelines, sales trends, and lifecycle performance.
• Coordinate with Retail and Sales teams to collect store-level insights on product performance.
• Coordinate with Finance to ensure pricing, margin, and cost data are aligned with product targets.
• Support internal review meetings with presentation materials and data analysis.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marketing, or Industrial Management.
• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in product coordination, market research, or merchandising (preferably in perfumes, cosmetics, or FMCG).
• Familiarity with fragrance industry trends and global luxury brand positioning.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint)
• Excellent English communication; Arabic an advantage.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical and research skills with an eye for market and design trends.
• Excellent organizational and time management ability
• Strong coordination and cross-functional communication.
• Creativity blended with commercial awareness.
• Attention to detail and ability to handle sensitive information.
• Interest and passion for perfumes, design, and luxury aesthetics.