Head of Merchandizing (Fast-Fashion Business)

Confidential; Selangor; On-site; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fast-fashion retailer is seeking a Head / Senior Manager of Merchandizing to spearhead the merchandising function. This role involves developing assortment strategies, managing category performance, and optimizing inventory across retail and eCommerce in Malaysia and Thailand. The ideal candidate has over 8 years in merchandising or category management, strong skills in cross-functional collaboration, and must be proficient in Mandarin for communication with suppliers in China.

Qualifications

• 8 to 10+ years of merchandising, category management or buying experience in fashion/apparel.
• Strong understanding of assortment planning and margin management.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop country assortment strategy across categories and store profiles.
• Monitor sell-through, stock aging, pricing competitiveness and margin.
• Oversee order management and improve stock availability.

Skills

Merchandising

Category management

Buying

Cross-functional communication

Supplier management

Job description

The company is a fast-growing fast-fashion retailer, focused on delivering premium, trend-driven apparel through an online-to-offline model. With a strong presence in offline retail and a growing eCommerce footprint, the company is observing rapid growth globally. The business operates a network of strategically located stores across high-traffic malls, urban centers, and suburban hubs, supported by its own website and marketplace partners.

The Head / Senior Manager of Merchandizing will be responsible for the end-to-end merchandising function, including assortment strategy, category management, OTB planning, buying, inventory flow, pricing and markdown optimization. This role will own the commercial engine that drives revenue, gross margin, and inventory productivity across both offline retail and eCommerce growth in Malaysia and Thailand. The position works closely with the General Manager, Operations, Marketing, HQ and international expansion teams to localize assortment and deliver strong commercial performance.

Key Responsibilities:

Assortment, Buying & Planning

• Develop country assortment strategy across categories, seasons and store profiles
• Lead product selection, buying cycles, and SKU rationalization in alignment with brand direction
• Localize assortment based on market trends, customer insights and competitive landscape

In-Season Trading & Commercial Performance

• Monitor sell-through, stock ageing, pricing competitiveness and margin performance
• Drive in-season actions: markdowns, promotions, replenishment, stock re-balancing
• Optimize inventory turns and reduce slow-moving inventory while protecting margins

Inventory, Supply Chain & Vendor Coordination

• Oversee order management, deliveries, allocation and warehouse coordination
• Work closely with suppliers, HQ merchandising teams and logistics partners
• Improve stock availability and minimize out-of-stock and overstock risks, while ensuring efficient delivery speed and cost

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with Marketing and eCommerce on launch calendars, content briefs and hero product pushes
• Partner with Retail Ops on planograms, VM directives, display standards and category performance
• Provide HQ with structured feedback on market needs, product gaps and consumer preferences

Qualifications & Experience:

• 8 to 10+ years of merchandising, category management or buying experience in fashion/apparel or fast-moving retail
• Strong understanding of assortment planning, forecasting, stock flow and margin management
• Proven success managing seasonal collections and high SKU complexity
• Excellent cross-functional communication and stakeholder management
• Experience working with China suppliers is an advantage
• A high level of proficiency in written and spoken Mandarin is essential for this role due to the extensive communication with partners and suppliers in China