What’s in this for you?

• The ability to take 6 weeks leave a year (4 paid)
• Parental Leave: If a baby is on the horizon…the offer of 26 weeks paid leave for the primary carer and 8 weeks for the secondary carer
• This is a brilliant fit if you thrive being in a ‘highly visible’ role where you are fully empowered to own and accelerate the capability and strategy of the merchandise planning and inventory management piece for the business
• It’s fun: It’s a place where unique talents are leveraged, and success is celebrated
• Further career possibilities are limitless for performers, due to the size, nature and ongoing growth of the business
• A workplace that lives, operates and stands by its ‘people centric’ values. It’s a great place to work!
• The package – its attractive, with many benefits
• It’s a career opportunity of a lifetime: where you can develop and really shape the division, feel empowered and encouraged to challenge the status quo and really ‘make your mark’ in a big way
• The opportunity to: Collaborate, learn and be inspired from the best. This is the home to some of the best mentors, leaders and minds in the industry
• The offices are in the South East: It’s flexible, open and collaborative, set up to leverage the sharing and expertise that everyone brings for the days when you are in the office

Your Prospective Employer:
Be part of something ‘AWESOME.’ Redefining customer experience, this bright, bold and highly respected retail brand, has a large national network of stores. With its ‘people centric’ culture and continual focus on collaboration and ‘achieving as one,’ they keep going from strength to strength. Backed by strategic growth, investment and an unstoppable commitment to their own people, this organisation is setting the pace across all its channels to market. Buoyed by their level of success and consumer recognition; they have attracted some of the market's best business minds and leaders…and here is your opportunity to be one.

Your role:
As the Merchandise Planning Manager, working at senior and very influential level, you will be fully empowered to lead, develop, create and drive the merchandise planning strategies for the business, ensuring always to have the right stock, at the right time, in the right places.
  
With a focus on maximising sales and gross margin to optimise inventory more specifically you will:

• Utilize sales data and market trends to optimise purchasing decisions, ensuring proper inventory levels are maintained, and profitability is maximised
• Lead and continually develop your team of 10, with 4 direct reports (including Planners and a Pricing/Promotions & Price File Manager), whilst overseeing a significant inventory portfolio of over $400m
• Be pushing the boundaries of excellence by further introducing, developing and executing first class assortment and merchandise planning and inventory strategies and initiatives to the business, all with a focus on the end customer
• Ensure the actions are in place to deliver sales, income and inventory targets that will continue to positively impact stores and category performance
• Develop accurate sales and inventory forecasts and be collaborating with Supply Chain, Marketing, and Merchandise teams to optimise stock levels
• Identify and implement improvements in planning methodologies and ERP systems work closely with vendors, suppliers, and internal teams to streamline operations and maximize profitability
• Ensure to take your team on a journey with your strong engagement, influence and leadership and continue to build capability within the team, all while fostering a culture of continual learning and improvement

 Here's what it will take:

• You have the right experience: you are a Merchandise Planning Manager (or similar) and therefore a guru in all things merchandise planning, forecasting and inventory management from within a Retail environment
• You are at the right level and you bring best practice: You are proven as a senior leader, having had ownership and accountability for the entire merchandise planning function. i.e. you have been responsible for setting the strategy and developing the function and its team, end to end
• Your style is to integrate strong and clear analysis and business rationale into decision making. You have strong analytical skills with the ability to analyse complex quantitative data and make sound commercial recommendations at an overarching business level
• You can flex: from being ‘hands on with your team,’ and working in the ‘day to day’ to driving and setting the strategy and vision for the function
• You are incredibly commercial: and you are ALWAYS 'on top of the numbers'
• You are a born leader. People naturally aspire to work 'with' you AND 'for' you and you have led and developed sizeable teams
• You build trust, value others, communicate effectively, drive execution, foster innovation, solve problems creatively and demonstrate high integrity
• Category experience: All category experience will be considered. We are more interested in your impactful leadership and merchandise planning experience vs knowledge of a certain category type. This opportunity, however, leans to more a hard goods vs soft good background
• Strong project management skills: you are brilliant at managing stakeholders to meet key delivery deadlines and influencing at all levels
• Are incredibly astute, innovative and assertive and you are one to ‘take action.’ In fact, identifying and maximising opportunities are seen as your forte
• You are authentic, charismatic, a credible negotiator and are always in it for a win-win
• You inspire: You have drive, determination and commitment that inspires others
• You listen and others listen to you; you collaborate well
• You have passion: Simply put, you just ‘love’ what you do, and you are awesome at it!

  
A career within this organisation means more than just a job—it’s your chance to grow, thrive, and make an impact. With competitive salaries, endless career progression, hands-on training, and a vibrant, high-energy workplace, this is a place where passion meets opportunity. So, are you in?
  
If so, please APPLY ASAP or reach out to Gabby Symons on gabbys@peopleequity.com.au or 0432 261 116 with any questions or for a confidential discussion