Merchandise, Planning and Trading Manager

About the role

New Era, a global lifestyle brand at the intersection of sport, fashion and culture, is looking for a Merchandise Planning and Trading Manager in Melbourne. As the commercial owner of the DTC ecommerce range, you will make sure the right products are ranged, bought, launched and replenished to maximise revenue, inventory and profit. Reporting to the Head of Digital, you will strengthen the merchandise planning and trading function, build a more robust annual merchandise plan and work closely with Product, Operations, Logistics, Marketing and Digital teams. This is a newly shaped, high-impact role for a commercial operator who loves product.

Key responsibilities

• Build seasonal range and line plans across Headwear, Apparel and Accessories
• Own DTC open-to-buy, demand forecasting, buy recommendations and stock allocation
• Manage inventory health, including stock turn, weeks cover, replenishment and risk
• Own the ecommerce trading calendar and run weekly and monthly trading reviews
• Analyse sell-through, sales velocity and gross margin to recommend promotions, markdowns and replenishment
• Drive P&L outcomes across product costs, margins and category growth
• Review local and global collections to set ecommerce ranging priorities
• Align product, inventory, marketing and onsite experiences to deliver successful launches
• Oversee ecommerce operations, including onsite merchandising, product discovery and conversion improvement (CRO)
• Lead and develop an Ecommerce Trading Operations Specialist

Required profile

• 5+ years' experience in Merchandise Planning, Buying, Trading or Ecommerce
• Strong retail background, ideally in larger, complex businesses
• Proven experience in assortment planning, forecasting, OTB and inventory management
• Strong commercial and analytical skills, including advanced Excel
• Experience with Shopify and SAP (or comparable systems); Power BI or Tableau is a plus
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills across Product, Operations and Ecommerce
• A passion for product, customer behaviour and the sport, lifestyle and streetwear space
• Tertiary qualification in Business, Commerce, Retail or similar (preferred)

What we offer

• Permanent position with base salary, superannuation and bonus
• Access to exclusive brand events and product perks
• Career growth within an iconic global brand