Senior Merchandise Planner

Now Hiring | Australian Online Retailer | Sydney

Dedicated to making every woman feel their absolute best when wearing one of their designs, this is a highly successful and well established Australian Online Retailer who are bounding from strength to strength. Join a stunning award winning, tech savvy brand who really know and engage with their customer through their social platforms.

This role reports to the Head of Buying with a dotted line reporting to the CFO. The Senior Planner will support both the buying team function and contribute to the company's budgeting, forecasting, and top-line performance management.

• Inventory Management: Plan, manage, and optimise inventory investments and allocations to meet sales targets, achieve gross profit goals, and maintain optimal stock turnover levels. Ensure stock levels align with seasonal peaks, promotions, and sales forecasts while minimising excess inventory.
• Forecasting and Sales Planning: Develop, maintain, and manage the Weekly Sales, Stock, and Intake (WSSI) and other planning tools to accurately forecast demand. Extract and interpret historical data to forecast future sales trends, adapting forecasts based on changing market conditions and sales performance. Collaborate with Buying and Merchandising to create accurate sales and margin forecasts for seasonal and promotional activities.
• Data Analysis: Analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) such as sales, gross profit, markdowns, stock turnover, and closing stock. Use analytics to identify high-performing and underperforming categories, implementing data-driven corrective actions to enhance overall business performance. Support the company's budgeting, forecasting, and top-line performance through data-driven insights.
• Product Performance Monitoring: Track, report, and analyse product trends and performance, making data-backed recommendations to optimise sales and reduce markdowns. Ensure appropriate stock allocation across channels and stores based on demand, seasonality, and sales velocity.
• Financial and Business Planning: Conduct financial planning and projections to maximise business performance, regularly reviewing and revising sales and profit expectations as market conditions shift. Drive initiatives to improve gross margins, inventory turns, and overall profitability. Partner with the CFO to align financial goals with business strategies and buying plans.
• Promotional and Sales Planning: Develop promotional and markdown strategies to drive revenue, enhance margin, and reduce excess inventory. Assess the impact of promotional activities, making data-informed recommendations for future campaigns.
• Assortment Planning: Create balanced merchandise assortments, considering factors such as pricing, styles, colours, fabrics, volumes, sizes, and store-specific requirements. Collaborate with the Buying team to create line plans that reflect customer demand and market trends.
• Collaboration and Communication: Collaborate closely with Buying, Marketing, Ecommerce, and Operations teams to align buying strategies, marketing campaigns, and operational goals. Participate in cross-departmental meetings and present planning insights, recommendations, and progress reports. Communicate regularly with senior management, providing updates on sales performance, forecasts, and inventory levels. Support the CFO in top-line performance management, providing timely data and insights for financial planning.
• Team Support and Leadership: Provide guidance, coaching, and feedback to the planning team to foster professional development and drive continuous improvement. Champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, and data-driven decision-making within the team. Mentor junior planners to build a pipeline of high-performing talent.
• Trend and Market Monitoring: Stay informed about competitor activities, industry trends, and retail best practices to ensure strategic adjustments for maintaining competitiveness. Apply trend insights into merchandising and assortment planning to capitalise on emerging opportunities.
• Systems Management and Process Improvement: Leverage planning systems and software to enhance planning accuracy and efficiency. Propose and implement process improvements for better inventory control, sales forecasting, and cross-departmental collaboration.
• Reporting and Analytics: Prepare and present comprehensive reports on sales, inventory, forecasts, and key business metrics to senior management. Use insights from data analysis to inform decision-making and future planning strategies.

You have at least 3-5 years' demonstrated experience as a Senior Planner within an Online Apparel Retailer. With a good understanding of all critical path elements and their impact on delivery, your proven track record of effective stock management, is evident within your work history. In addition, you have:

• Strong financial and commercial business acumen
• Knowledge of competitors with the ability to form educated opinions to effect commercial decisions
• Ability to manage key relationships effectively to deliver the business strategy
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively as part of a team
• Effective negotiation and influencing skills
• Effective numerical, critical thinking and analytical skills
• Ability to champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, and data-driven decision-making within the team.
• Experience in mentoring junior planners to build a pipeline of high-performing talent.

With a strong salary offering – this is a fantastic opportunity to join this business in their Ultimo location.

If you are interested in this role, please feel free to reach out to: jo@thetalentmill.com.au