Merchandise Planning Manager

Bapcor Limited; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Diversity opportunities

Employee discounts

Paid birthday leave

Wellbeing support

Novated leasing

Job summary

Bapcor Limited is seeking a Merchandise Planning Manager in Melbourne to lead strategic merchandise planning for Burson and Precision sites, partnering with Supply Chain to optimise inventory and profitability. You’ll mentor and develop the team, drive performance, and influence purchasing decisions using sales data and market insights.

You will build forecasting models, align forecasts with Marketing and Trade activities, and embed a Trade Demand Planning capability while maintaining data

Qualifications

• Significant experience in merchandise planning or demand planning.
• Experience with forecasting, inventory optimization and planning methodologies.
• Ability to translate data into actionable commercial insights.
• Strong stakeholder engagement across Merchandise, Supply Chain and Finance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of merchandise planning and demand forecasting across Trade.
• Build and maintain forecasting models using sales data, market insights and statistical methods.
• Partner with Merchandise, Marketing and Supply Chain teams to align forecasts, inventory and promotional activity.
• Ensure optimal inventory levels, balancing availability, working capital and risk (under/overstocking).
• Identify and resolve supply and demand gaps, driving improved planning outcomes.
• Establish and embed a Trade Demand Planning capability, including governance and KPI tracking.
• Provide clear reporting and insights on forecast accuracy, inventory performance and trends.
• Translate data into actionable insights to support commercial decision-making.
• Maintain high standards of inventory data quality and drive continuous improvement in processes and systems.
• Contribute to system enhancements and capability uplift across planning and inventory tool

Skills

Merchandise planning

Demand planning

Inventory management

Data analysis

Forecasting

ERP systems

Stakeholder engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

Retail / B2B experience

Continuous improvement

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Job Description

We are embarking on a significant transformation across our Merchandise team and are expanding our team as we invest for growth.

This is a unique opportunity to join Bapcor at a pivotal time — to help build a high-performing team, influence how we operate, and deliver meaningful commercial outcomes.

About the role

The Merchandise Planning Manager is responsible for leading the development and execution of strategic merchandise planning across Burson and Precision sites, working in close partnership with Supply Chain to optimise inventory management. The role leverages sales data and market insights to inform purchasing decisions, maintain appropriate stock levels, and drive overall profitability.

In addition to strategic planning, this position plays a key role in team leadership, supporting performance and growth through mentoring, coaching, and capability development.

What you’ll do

• Lead the development and execution of merchandise planning and demand forecasting across Trade
• Build and maintain forecasting models using sales data, market insights and statistical methods
• Partner with Merchandise, Marketing and Supply Chain teams to align forecasts, inventory and promotional activity
• Ensure optimal inventory levels, balancing availability, working capital and risk (under/overstocking)
• Identify and resolve supply and demand gaps, driving improved planning outcomes
• Establish and embed a Trade Demand Planning capability, including governance and KPI tracking
• Provide clear reporting and insights on forecast accuracy, inventory performance and trends
• Translate data into actionable insights to support commercial decision-making
• Maintain high standards of inventory data quality and drive continuous improvement in processes and systems
• Contribute to system enhancements and capability uplift across planning and inventory tool

Qualifications

• Significant experience in merchandise planning, demand planning, inventory management or supply chain analytics
• Strong commercial and analytical capability, with experience working with large, complex datasets
• Proven experience in forecasting, inventory optimisation and planning methodologies
• Advanced systems capability across ERP and forecasting/optimisation tools
• Demonstrated ability to partner cross-functionally across Merchandise, Supply Chain, Finance and Operations
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to influence outcomes
• Ability to translate data into insights that drive business performance
• Experience in retail, B2B or trade environments (automotive highly regarded)
• A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to operate in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Additional Information

Why join Bapcor?

At Bapcor, we focus on what matters most for our customers, team members and the communities we serve. We go the extra mile to get the job done and always live our values.

In joining our team, you can access:

• Diverse career opportunities within the Bapcor Group
• Discounts across Bapcor products and services, including our Retail and Trade brands
• Industry leading policies to support your work/ life balance (gender neutral parental leave, purchase leave, volunteer leave etc…)
• Paid birthday leave
• Wellbeing support
• Novated leasing and more

We pride ourselves on our inclusive work environment, and encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures, gender identity, abilities and backgrounds, providing a recruitment experience that’s fair, free from bias and accessible. If you need to inquire about reasonable accommodation for the application process, please email [e-mail]

While we understand that recruitment agencies would love to offer their support, we kindly request all agencies to refrain from contacting us regarding this job posting. All applications should be submitted directly by candidates.