Overview:
Our client is a popular Australian fashion brand dedicated to delivering effortless, reliable, and affordable everyday style. Focused on inclusive sizing and high-wearability fashion, they are scaling their retail and e-commerce supply chain operations and require experienced inventory leadership to optimize stock performance, gross margin, and range management.
They are seeking a high-caliber Senior Merchandise Planning & Trading Manager with 5+ years of relevant experience to lead inventory efficiency, sales forecasting, and gross margin optimization. In this role, you will take full ownership of merchandise planning across categories, manage Open-To-Buy (OTB) constraints, drive markdown strategies, and deliver actionable performance insights to cross-functional teams.
Schedule: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM AEST / AEDT (Sydney Time) | Full-Time, 40 hours per week (includes 30 minutes paid break)
Responsibilities:
Merchandise Planning & Forecasting
- Build, maintain, and lead seasonal and weekly merchandise plans across all product categories
- Formulate accurate sales, margin, and stock forecasts using historical trade data, current market trends, and seasonal run rates
- Drive Open-To-Buy (OTB) management to optimize inventory investment, core style continuity, and repeat line commitments
- Direct in-season forecast updates to capture emerging demand and mitigate overstock risks
Performance Analysis & Trade Insights
- Track weekly and monthly sales, stock cover, and gross margin against target plans.
- Analyze complex retail metrics including sell-through rates, stock turn, Average Selling Price (ASP), and gross margin performance
- Deliver trade reports and actionable recommendations to executive, buying, and marketing teams
- Oversee site merchandising reporting to guide featured product placement across web and email marketing channels
Inventory & Markdown Management
- Oversee stock allocation strategies across store locations and online warehouses to maintain optimal depth
- Design and execute markdown and promotional strategies to clear slow-moving inventory while protecting overall margin
- Conduct post-promotion effectiveness analysis to optimize future sale event costing, margin impact, and system implementations (e.g., Indigo8)
Cross-Functional Leadership & Process Improvement
- Partner closely with Buying, Marketing, Warehouse, and digital support staff to align range planning with business growth goals
- Build, audit, and enhance complex Excel planning models, trackers, and forecasting dashboards
- Continuously refine planning frameworks, software systems, and data controls to ensure complete reporting integrity
Requirements:
- Senior Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of hands-on experience as a Merchandise Planner, Retail Planner, or Category Planner within apparel, e-commerce, or multi-channel retail environments
- Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Commerce, Retail Management, Finance, or a related quantitative field
- Advanced Financial & Analytical Skills: Deep understanding of OTB management, stock turn, ASP, gross margin, and trade forecasting
- Advanced Excel Mastery: High-level proficiency in creating advanced formulas, pivot tables, dynamic dashboards, and modeling tools from scratch
- Commercial Acumen: Strong track record in markdown strategy execution, promotional costing, and range optimization
Independent Contractor Perks:
- Permanent work from home
- Immediate hiring
- Health Insurance Coverage for eligible locations
Note:
Please click the Apply button to complete your application, including the assessment questions, technical check, and voice recording. Your hourly pay rate will be established based on your performance in the application process; submissions with all requirements fulfilled will receive priority review.
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