Looking for Philippines-based candidates

Job Role: Merchandise Planning Analyst

Compensation range: $1,500 AUD - $1,800 AUD / Monthly

Engagement type: Independent Contractor Agreement

Work Schedule: This role is expected to require roughly 30 hours per week. As a contractor, you'll have flexibility in how you manage your schedule, but availability for occasional collaboration during AU business hours is preferred.

Who We Are: At Hunt St, we help Australian companies hire top remote talent in the Philippines. You will be hired directly by the client as an independent contractor. We are not an outsourcing agency. All of our roles are 100% remote so you'll be able to work from home.

Who The Client Is: We are a well-established Australian retail business specialising in products for babies, children and families. With a strong online and physical retail presence, the business is focused on delivering a high-quality customer experience through carefully selected products and knowledgeable service.

The team is collaborative and close-knit, with a strong focus on commercial performance, continuous improvement and finding smarter ways to work.

Role Overview: We are seeking an analytical and commercially minded Merchandise Planning Analyst to support the Merchandise and Planning function. This role will help optimise sales, margin, inventory and stock productivity by providing accurate analysis and practical planning support across range planning, forecasting, Open to Buy (OTB), replenishment, pricing and SKU lifecycle management.

Working closely with the Merchandise, Supply Chain, Finance, Ecommerce, Store and Supplier teams, you will help ensure Baby Village has the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time, while maintaining disciplined inventory investment.

This is an opportunity for someone who is not just a thinker or a doer, but both. The successful candidate will be comfortable working with data, questioning existing processes, identifying opportunities and taking ownership of actions with minimal supervision.

Key Responsibilities:

Range & SKU Lifecycle Management

Support range selection with suppliers through sales, stock and performance analysis
Analyse customer demand, category performance and existing assortment to identify range gaps and opportunities
Create new SKUs accurately and within required timelines
Maintain accurate product and SKU master data across relevant business systems
Conduct regular aged and slow-moving stock reviews
Identify underperforming inventory and recommend actions to improve stock turn and reduce aged stock exposure

Open to Buy, Forecasting & Inventory Planning

Support the management and maintenance of the Open to Buy (OTB), providing visibility over committed and planned inventory spend
Monitor inventory investment against approved budgets and flag risks or variances
Maintain forward sales and inventory forecasts using historical performance, seasonality, promotional activity and known trading plans
Quantify forward and bulk order requirements to support stock availability while managing inventory risk
Support planning for key trading periods, promotions, launches and supplier opportunities

Assortment Planning & Stock Optimisation

Analyse sales, stock cover, sell-through and stock turn to identify replenishment and inventory opportunities
Support sales optimisation through appropriate minimum stock levels and inventory settings
Assist with space and assortment planning across stores and channels
Identify opportunities to improve stock productivity and availability across the network
Provide recommendations on inventory requirements by SKU, category and location

Pricing & Cost Management

Maintain and process supplier cost price changes accurately and within required timeframes
Assess the commercial impact of cost changes and escalate material margin impacts where required
Monitor Was/Now and promotional pricing to support compliance with Australian Consumer Law and Baby Village pricing requirements
Maintain accurate pricing and cost information within relevant systems

Reporting & Analysis

Prepare and run the weekly Monday merchandise and planning reports and distribute them to relevant stakeholders
Maintain accurate and timely reporting across sales, stock, margin, aged inventory and other agreed planning KPIs
Highlight material risks, opportunities and exceptions requiring action
Support ad hoc analysis for the Merchandise, Planning and broader business teams
Continually improve reporting processes to increase accuracy, efficiency and commercial usefulness

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with the Head of Merchandise and Merchandise team
Collaborate with Supply Chain and Technology, Finance and Ecommerce teams
Maintain effective working relationships with Store teams and Suppliers
Communicate proactively to ensure relevant stakeholders have the information required to make timely commercial decisions

Required Skills and Qualifications:

Previous experience in merchandise planning, allocation, buying administration or a similar retail analytical role
Experience within retail, ecommerce or consumer products is preferred, with Shopify experience highly regarded.
Strong numerical and analytical capability
Intermediate to advanced Excel skills
Understanding of retail sales, stock, margin, sell-through and stock turn metrics
Exposure to Open to Buy (OTB), forecasting or inventory planning is highly regarded
Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy
Ability to interpret data and translate analysis into practical recommendations
Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage recurring deadlines
Confident working collaboratively across multiple business functions
Able to work independently, take ownership and make sound judgment calls with light guidance
Demonstrates initiative and a willingness to question the brief, identify better ways of working and suggest improvements proactively
Reliable and diligent when working remotely, with strong follow-through and accountability
Proactive communicator who can build rapport and contribute positively to a close-knit team environment
Comfortable using AI tools to improve efficiency, productivity and the quality of work

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means providing the Merchandise team with accurate data, disciplined inventory planning and timely commercial insights that improve stock productivity and support profitable sales.

You will help Baby Village maintain appropriate inventory levels, identify range and stock opportunities early, manage inventory investment against plan and provide reliable reporting that enables faster and better commercial decisions.

Performance will be assessed against measures including:

Inventory levels and stock turn
Aged and slow-moving stock performance
Stock availability across priority SKUs
OTB accuracy and adherence to inventory budgets
Forecast accuracy
Margin impact and accuracy of supplier cost changes
Accuracy and timeliness of SKU and master data
Pricing compliance
Accuracy and timeliness of weekly reporting
Identification and escalation of inventory risks and opportunities

Work Arrangement & Expectations:

This is a remote role that may be set up as either an independent contractor engagement or via an Employer of Record (EOR), depending on client preferences and legal structure.

To ensure alignment and transparency, successful candidates will be expected to:

Be available for meetings and collaboration during core [AEST or PHT] business hours
Disclose any existing ongoing roles or client work
Reflect this engagement on their LinkedIn profile (clearly marked as Independent Contractor if not employed via EOR