Senior Merchandise Planner

ETISK - ecommerce & retail recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ETISK - ecommerce & retail recruitment is seeking a Merchandise Planner to own planning for a growing Australian women’s fashion eCommerce brand. You’ll sit on the leadership team and influence product, trade and growth from a central Sydney location.

Four-day weeks are being considered, offering flexibility in a fast-paced fashion environment. You’ll lead range investment, forecasting and stock availability, shaping decisions on what to buy and how it trades.

Qualifications

• Five or more years’ experience at Planner level or above, with strong experience in women’s fashion and eCommerce.
• Solid grounding in merchandise planning, forecasting, OTB, WSSI and stock management.
• Experience managing high SKU volumes and complex datasets, ideally across 3,000+ SKUs.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence using planning systems.

Responsibilities

• Own the merchandise plan: develop and manage sales, margin and inventory plans, with responsibility for OTB and WSSI.
• Shaping the range: partner with Buying on seasonal planning using performance and customer insights to guide investment.
• Drive weekly trade: understand what’s selling, spot changes in demand and translate analysis into actions across buying, replenishment, promotions and markdowns.
• Improve stock performance: forecast and manage inventory flow across 3,000+ SKUs while controlling excess stock.
• Protect profitability: develop promotional and markdown strategies balancing revenue, margin and stock clearance.
• Connect planning with business strategy: align trading and buying decisions with financial goals with the CFO and leadership.
• Developing your Planner: provide direction, coaching and feedback while staying hands-on.
• Make planning better: improve reporting, processes and systems; explore automation and AI support.

Skills

Merchandise planning

Forecasting

Stock management

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Leadership

Tools

WSSI

OTB

Planning systems

Job description

Central Sydney // Full-time or four days per week

• Own the planning function for an established Australian women’s fashion eCommerce brand.
• Take a seat on the leadership team and influence product, trade and growth.
• Work from a great central Sydney location, with a four-day working week considered.

Your opportunity to shape how a fashion business grows.

For a merchandise planner who loves fashion, understands online trading and wants genuine ownership, this role offers plenty to get stuck into. This established, founder-led women’s fashion eCommerce brand is back in growth mode. With Buying and Marketing already transformed, the next priority is planning: building the structure, insight and commercial discipline to support sustainable growth.

From range investment and forecasting to stock availability and margin, you’ll influence the decisions that determine what the business buys, how it trades and where it grows. You’ll have a seat on the leadership team, direct access to senior decision-makers and an existing Planner to lead and develop.

It’s a hands-on role with strategic scope, in a business where you can see your recommendations put into practice.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll work closely with Buying, eCommerce, Finance and Marketing to connect product decisions with customer demand and commercial performance.

Your remit will include:

• Owning the merchandise plan. Develop and manage sales, margin and inventory plans, with responsibility for OTB and WSSI.
• Shaping the range. Partner with Buying on seasonal planning, using product performance and customer insights to guide where and how much to invest.
• Driving weekly trade. Understand what’s selling, spot changes in demand and turn your analysis into clear actions across buying, replenishment, promotions and markdowns.
• Improving stock performance. Manage forecasting and inventory flow across 3,000+ SKUs, keeping availability strong while controlling excess stock.
• Protecting profitability. Develop promotional and markdown strategies that balance revenue, margin and stock clearance.
• Connecting planning with business strategy. Partner with the CFO and wider leadership team to align trading and buying decisions with financial goals.
• Developing your Planner. Provide clear direction, coaching and feedback, helping them build their capability and confidence.
• Making planning better. Improve reporting, processes and systems, exploring where automation and AI can support accuracy and efficiency.

What you’ll bring

You know the pace of fashion eCommerce. You’re comfortable working through a large, changing range, making decisions on weekly trading cycles and adjusting the plan when customer demand moves.

You can get into the detail, explain what matters and make a clear recommendation. You’re also happy taking ownership: challenging assumptions, working through problems and following decisions through.

• Five or more years’ experience at Planner level or above, with strong experience in women’s fashion and eCommerce.
• A solid technical grounding in merchandise planning, forecasting, OTB, WSSI and stock management.
• Experience managing high SKU volumes and complex datasets, ideally across a range of 3,000+ SKUs.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence using planning systems.
• Strong commercial judgement across sales, margin, stock investment and customer buying behaviour.
• Clear communication and the confidence to influence colleagues across different functions.
• The ability to coach and develop an existing Planner while staying hands-on yourself.

Why this role?

Ownership with influence. You’ll lead planning and help shape the wider business through your position on the leadership team.

Fashion eCommerce at the centre. Product, customer demand and online trading will drive your work, with a broad range and a fast weekly trading rhythm.

Room to make your mark. There’s a clear opportunity to strengthen how planning operates, from the quality of the forecasts to the way the business makes decisions.

Close to the decision-makers. You’ll work directly with senior leaders across Buying, Marketing, eCommerce and Finance in a founder-led, entrepreneurial environment.

Based on-site in a great central Sydney location, the role is available full‑time, with four days per week also considered.