Merchandise Planner

As a key member of our Merchandise Planning team, you will play a pivotal role in driving strategic inventory management and performance analysis to deliver business objectives.

The Senior Inventory Planner is responsible for developing commercially viable inventory strategies, optimizing stock levels across channels and ensuring accurate forecasting.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build seasonal and annual sales, margin and inventory forecasts by category, subcategory, product type and lifecycle.
• Translate merchandise strategies into actionable planning frameworks, open-to-buy (OTB) and inventory allocations.
• Partner with finance to ensure integrated financial planning and quarterly reforecasting.
• Provide detailed data analysis and recommendations to inform category strategies, assortment mix and in-season trading decisions.
• Maintain rolling 12-month demand forecasts by style by region.
• Partner with Buyers, marketing and Finance to incorporate commercial insights and market feedback into forecasts.
• Lead scenario planning during periods of market volatility or strategic shifts.
• Drive continuous improvement in forecasting by analyzing actuals vs. forecast and implementing corrective actions.
• Work closely with Production and Operations functions to ensure on-time deliveries in accordance with the Product Development and Launch Cycle (PDLC).
• Identify and flag risks and opportunities relating to stock cover, stockouts and overstock situations in key trade meetings, ensuring stakeholders are informed and action plans are agreed.
• Provide clear, data-driven insights and recommendations to balance inventory levels across product types, sizes and regions to maximize availability and minimize excess.
• Monitor actual inventory positions vs planned cover and proactively recommend rebuys or markdowns where needed.
• Communicate clear stock risk reports and recommended actions as part of the monthly planning cycle.
• Review, update and report on forecasts on a weekly cycle, ensuring clear communication & actions regarding any significant variances to stakeholders.
• Monitor forecast accuracy using agreed metrics and identify root causes of variance.
• Drive continuous improvement in forecasting by analyzing actuals vs. forecast and implementing corrective actions.
• Maintain standardized reporting templates and tools to improve efficiency and consistency across the team.
• Present insights and recommendations to support business decisions, including promotions, markdowns or clearance strategies.
• Support ad hoc and deep-dive analysis to identify trends, risks and opportunities that impact inventory levels and sales performance.
• Support the annual and seasonal budgeting process by providing robust demand forecasts and financial analysis to inform sales and inventory targets.
• Forecast future financial trends related to sales, stock investments and margin impacts, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Partner with Finance and Merchandise Planning teams to refine budgeting assumptions and inputs.

About You

• 4+ years' experience in demand planning, inventory planning or merchandise planning (ideally within apparel).
• Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel and planning system experience.
• Proven ability to translate complex data into clear, actionable insights.
• High attention to detail and strong problem-solving capability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience in fashion or apparel retail.
• Knowledge of supply chain principles.
• Understanding the needs of the market, suppliers and merchandisers.
• Ability to effectively influence, engage and develop strong relationships.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Knowledge and understanding of the retail industry and the Australia retail landscape, preferred.