Merchandise Planner (Womenswear)

Randstad Pty; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 135,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

16% bonus

Staff discounts

Health & wellness

Hybrid work

Career growth

Job summary

Randstad Pty is seeking a commercially sharp Merchandise Planner for the Womenswear portfolio in Sydney. You will own seasonal financial strategy, forecasting, and weekly trading across national stores, translating data into category growth while balancing margin and markdown risk.

Reporting to Planning Manager and partnering with the Womenswear Buying team, you will drive OTB, inventory flow, and store profiling to optimise performance. Hybrid work offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years as a planner in high-volume, multi-site retail
• Specialist Womenswear experience including lead times, seasonal shifts and sizing
• Experience in big-box / large-format retail networks
• Proven WSSI and OTB management skills; advanced Excel, ERP familiarity
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain seasonal budgets covering sales, gross profit, stock turn, markdown spend and OTB
• Partner with Buyers on range architecture and depth strategies for high-volume stores
• Manage weekly trading and forecasting using WSSI; identify risks and opportunities
• Oversee inventory flow and OTB control to protect working capital
• Collaborate with allocation/replenishment to optimise store tiering and distribution
• Deliver post-season reviews and competitive insights to shape future procurement

Skills

Merchandise planning

Womenswear expertise

Large-format retail experience

Commercial acumen & systems

Cross-functional influence

Education

Bachelor degree

Tools

TXT

SAP

Oracle

JDA/Blue Yonder

Job description

• Location: Sydney
• Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
• Remuneration: $135,000 - $145,000 + Super + 16% Bonus + Comprehensive Benefits

Your New Company:

One of Australia’s most recognisable and trusted big-box retail destinations. Dedicated to delivering scale, everyday value, and quality to millions of households across the nation, this business thrives on commercial pace, high volume, and operational agility. The Apparel division is entering an exciting new phase of growth and evolution. We are looking for an ambitious, commercially sharp Merchandise Planner to take end-to-end commercial ownership of our high-performing Womenswear category.

About the Role:

Reporting to the Planning Manager and working in a tight, strategic partnership with the Womenswear Buying team, you will drive the seasonal financial strategy, forecasting, and weekly trading for the Womenswear portfolio across our national store footprint. In a large-scale, big-box environment, you will translate data into category growth - balancing depth, margin, and markdown risk to ensure our stores consistently deliver the right product, at the right volume, at the right time.

$135,000 - $145,000 + Super + 16% Bonus + Comprehensive Benefits

Key Responsibilities:

• Merchandise Financial Planning: Build and maintain seasonal category budgets covering sales, gross profit, stock turn, markdown spend, and Open-to-Buy (OTB).
• Assortment & Range Architecture: Partner with Buyers on range architecture, option counts, sizing curves, and depth strategies tailored to high-volume store grades.
• In-Season Trading & WSSI Management: Manage and re-forecast weekly department performance via the WSSI, identifying risk, mitigating slow movers, and chasing trading opportunities.
• Inventory Flow & OTB Control: Manage high-volume order pipelines and inventory flow to protect working capital, maintain warehouse flow, and ensure lean terminal stock.
• Store Profiling & Allocation Strategy: Work closely with the allocation and replenishment teams to fine-tune store tiering, ensuring optimal distribution across our national footprint.
• Post-Season Analysis: Deliver comprehensive seasonal reviews and competitor insights to shape future procurement and assortment strategies.

Your Skill's & Experience:

To be considered for this position, the following background is strictly essential:

• 5+ Years Merchandise Planning Experience: Proven tenure as an autonomous Planner in high-volume, multi-site retail.
• Specialist Womenswear Expertise: Proven background managing apparel, with dedicated experience in Womenswear (intimate knowledge of apparel lead times, seasonal shifts, fabrication, sizing curves, and promotional cycles).
• Big-Box / Large-Format Retail Experience: Proven track record operating within a complex, large-format national retail network managing high-volume SKU architectures.
• Commercial Acumen & Systems Proficiency: Demonstrated expertise in WSSI and OTB management, advanced Excel skills, and familiarity with enterprise merchandise planning systems (e.g., TXT, SAP, Oracle, JDA/Blue Yonder).
• Cross-Functional Influence: Confident stakeholder management skills with the ability to build rapport and challenge commercial decisions constructively.

Your Benefits:

• Attractive Remuneration: Competitive base salary of $135,000 - $145,000 + Super
• Performance Incentive: Generous 16% annual performance bonus.
• Generous Team Discounts: Substantial staff discounts across our national store footprint and affiliated retail brands.
• Health & Wellness: Free gym access (on-site or partner memberships) plus access to comprehensive corporate health and wellness initiatives.
• Flexible Working: Modern head office facilities with a genuine hybrid working arrangement (split office and work-from-home).
• Career Growth: Direct pathways into Senior Planning, Merchandise Management, and broader supply chain leadership across our expanding business.

At Randstad, we are passionate about providing equal employment opportunities and embracing diversity to the benefit of all. We actively encourage applications from any background.

qualification

• Bachelor Degree