The Business Steering & Planning team is the strategic newsroom of the Business Operations & Steering unit. We are moving beyond standard reporting to true business steering, acting as the primary advisory body to the ZMS Management Team. Our mandate is to consolidate complex data into clear narratives, manage the company’s financial rhythm, and ensure that every decision is backed by robust planning.

We are looking for a Senior Business Steering Analyst to join our team of experts. In this role, you aren’t just a "data provider"—you are a strategic translator. You will bridge the gap between raw analytical output and executive action, transforming numbers into the "Why" and "What Next" that drives our business forward.

INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN

If you think you have what it takes, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. You may just be the right candidate for this or other roles!

At Zalando, our vision is to be the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce – one that thrives on diversity and is truly inclusive by design. We believe that diverse teams fuel innovation and creativity, and we actively seek out talent from all backgrounds.

We actively seek to reduce bias in our hiring and employment processes, focusing on your qualifications, skills, and contributions. To support this, we kindly ask that you refrain from including personal details such as your photo, age, or marital status in your CV, ensuring a fair and equitable evaluation based solely on your abilities and potential.

We are committed to providing an exceptional and accessible candidate experience for everyone. If you require any accommodations to support you throughout the hiring process, please let us know – we are here to assist you.

Discover more about our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace: https://jobs.zalando.com/en/our-culture/diversity-and-inclusion

WHERE YOUR EXPERTISE IS NEEDED

• Performance Narratives: You own the preparation and synthesis of our high-stakes steering formats (Weekly Business Steering, Monthly Business Reviews). You don’t just present "the what"; you weave data into a logic-proof story that highlights performance drivers and alerts leadership to critical trends.

• Deep-Dive Analysis: You act as the lead investigator when numbers deviate from the plan. Whether it’s a shift in price, volume, or mix, you perform rigorous root-cause analysis to provide clarity on the underlying business mechanics.

• Executive Sparring: You act as a trusted partner for commercial stakeholders, providing data-backed recommendations. You are comfortable standing behind your insights and can challenge the status quo when the data suggests a different course of action.

• Forecasting Support: You collaborate closely with our Senior Commercial Planner to infuse the financial forecast with commercial reality, ensuring that our 3+9 and 6+6 cycles are grounded in the latest market insights and operational trends.

• Visualization & Standards: You raise the bar for how we communicate. You translate complex datasets into clean, executive-ready visualizations and slides that allow the Management Team to grasp the "big picture" at a glance.

• Cross-Functional Bridge: You work at the intersection of "BI & Analytics" and the commercial business units, ensuring that our steering logic is consistent across the organization and built on a foundation of high-quality data.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

• Experience: You have a degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, or a related field and 5+ years of experience in Business Intelligence, Commercial Strategy, FP&A, or Management Consulting.

• Analytical Rigor: You have a "detective" mindset. You aren't satisfied with surface-level data; you have the technical skill to dig deep into datasets (Excel is a must; SQL or Tableau/MicroStrategy is a strong plus) to find the truth.

• Strategic Storytelling: You possess the ability to "zoom out." You can take a complex spreadsheet and turn it into a 3-slide executive summary that is visually sharp, concise, and action-oriented.

• Business Acumen: You understand the P&L mechanics of a digital or e-commerce business. You know how levers like CPM, take-rates, and customer cohorts