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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Trade Planner

💰 $75,000 - $120,000

SalesMarketingPlanningRetailCPG

🎯 Role Definition

A Trade Planner is the strategic architect behind a company's promotional and pricing strategy within the retail landscape. This role is the critical link between the sales, marketing, and finance teams, responsible for developing and executing effective trade marketing plans that drive volume, increase market share, and maximize profitability. At its core, this position involves meticulously managing the trade spend budget, analyzing the return on investment (ROI) of promotional activities, and forecasting the impact of these initiatives on sales performance. The Trade Planner ensures that every dollar spent on promotions is a strategic investment, aligning with brand objectives and delivering measurable results in a competitive market.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Sales Analyst or Business Analyst
  • Category Analyst
  • Marketing Coordinator or Assistant Brand Manager

Advancement To:

  • Senior Trade Planner or Trade Strategy Manager
  • Trade Marketing Manager
  • Category Manager or National Account Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Demand Planner or Supply Chain Analyst
  • Brand Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and manage the annual promotional calendar in close collaboration with sales and marketing teams to align with product launches, seasonal peaks, and overall brand strategy.
  • Meticulously oversee and track the trade spend budget, ensuring all promotional activities and expenditures are accurately forecasted, accrued, and reconciled against financial targets.
  • Conduct in-depth post-promotional analysis to evaluate the effectiveness, profitability, and return on investment (ROI) of trade events, providing actionable insights for future planning.
  • Create and present comprehensive financial models to predict the volume lift, incremental sales, and profitability of proposed promotional activities for key retail accounts.
  • Collaborate directly with National Account Managers to build customer-specific trade plans that meet both the company's strategic goals and the retailer's objectives.
  • Utilize syndicated data sources (such as Nielsen, IRI, or SPINS) to analyze market trends, competitor promotional activity, and category performance to identify new opportunities.
  • Manage the input and integrity of all promotional data within the Trade Promotion Management (TPM) or Trade Promotion Optimization (TPO) system.
  • Lead monthly and quarterly planning meetings with cross-functional stakeholders to review past performance, align on future promotional strategies, and address any budget variances.
  • Develop compelling, data-driven sales stories and presentations that articulate the value and expected outcome of proposed trade plans to both internal leadership and external retail partners.
  • Analyze pricing and promotional elasticity to recommend optimal pricing structures and discount levels that drive consumer takeaway without eroding brand equity or profitability.
  • Forecast promotional volume and ensure tight alignment with the demand planning and supply chain teams to maintain adequate inventory levels and prevent out-of-stocks during key events.
  • Perform regular audits of trade spend deductions and work with accounts receivable to resolve discrepancies and ensure compliance with promotional agreements.
  • Standardize trade planning processes and tools to drive efficiency, consistency, and accuracy across the sales organization.
  • Serve as the subject matter expert on trade marketing strategy, providing guidance and training to the broader sales team on best practices for promotion planning and execution.
  • Monitor and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to trade effectiveness, such as incremental volume, cost per unit moved, and promotional ROI.

Secondary Functions

  • Support the annual business planning process by providing key inputs on trade rates, promotional assumptions, and volume forecasts.
  • Assist the category management team with data and insights for line reviews and joint business planning sessions with key retailers.
  • Contribute to the development of new item launch strategies, recommending introductory trade programs and pricing to ensure successful sell-in and sell-through.
  • Analyze and report on the impact of retailer-specific couponing, loyalty programs, and digital marketing efforts tied to in-store promotions.
  • Participate in special projects and ad-hoc analytical requests from leadership to address pressing business questions or explore strategic growth initiatives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Trade Promotion Management (TPM/TPO): Proficiency in using TPM/TPO software (e.g., Anaplan, Exceedra, SAP TPM) for planning, forecasting, and settling trade funds.
  • Syndicated Data Analysis: Expertise in analyzing and interpreting large datasets from sources like Nielsen, IRI, or SPINS to uncover trends and insights.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel: Mastery of Excel, including complex formulas, VLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH, pivot tables, and financial modeling for ROI and profitability analysis.
  • Financial Acumen & Modeling: Strong ability to build financial models, understand a P&L statement, and calculate key metrics like ROI, margin, and profitability.
  • Data Visualization: Skill in using tools like Tableau, Power BI, or even advanced Excel charting to create clear and impactful reports and dashboards.
  • Demand Forecasting: Understanding of forecasting principles and the ability to accurately project the volume impact of promotional activities.

Soft Skills

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: The ability to work effectively and build strong relationships with diverse teams, including Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Supply Chain.
  • Analytical Storytelling: The capacity to translate complex data and analysis into a clear, concise, and compelling narrative that influences decision-making.
  • Strategic Thinking: The skill to see the bigger picture, understand market dynamics, and develop long-term plans that align with overarching business goals.
  • Attention to Detail: A meticulous and thorough approach to managing budgets, data entry, and analytical work to ensure accuracy and reliability.
  • Influential Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the confidence to present findings and recommendations to leadership and external partners.
  • Problem-Solving: A proactive and resourceful mindset focused on identifying issues, analyzing root causes, and implementing effective solutions.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree in a business-related or quantitative field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration or Marketing
  • Finance or Economics
  • Supply Chain Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-7 years of relevant experience in a CPG, consumer electronics, or retail-focused environment.

Preferred:

  • Direct experience in a role such as Sales Analyst, Category Analyst, or Finance Analyst with significant exposure to trade promotions, pricing analysis, and sales planning. Prior hands-on experience with a Trade Promotion Management (TPM) system and syndicated data is highly desirable.
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