You might also be the person in your team who naturally gets drawn into the systems side of things. The one who understands how the planning platform works, spots when a process is broken, loves testing new tools, and translates what the merchandise team needs back to technology teams.
If that sounds like you, this is your opportunity to move beyond category management and influence how an the retail business plans.
The Opportunity
We are partnering with a well-established retailer with a significant national footprint to recruit a Specialist for their team
This isn't a traditional category planner role, nor is it a pure IT support position. You will act as the strategic bridge between commercial merchandise planning and the software platforms that power it.
Rather than managing a single product line, you’ll help optimise the planning systems, workflows, and tools used across the wider merchandise function.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Platform Optimisation: Help maintain, support, and continuously improve the core merchandise planning platform.
- Testing & Releases: Coordinate user acceptance testing, end-to-end testing, and regression testing for system upgrades and feature releases.
- Problem Solving & Issue Resolution: Identify, document, and triage bugs alongside internal IT teams and external software vendors.
- Process & Data Enhancement: Use your domain expertise to improve planning templates, data quality, and team workflows.
- Commercial Alignment: Ensure all system changes directly support smart commercial decision-making across forecasting, stock control, and budgeting.
You bring solid Merchandise Planning experience within a retail environment (sales, margin, inventory, OTB, markdowns).
You'll stand out if you are:
- A Merchandise Planner or Senior Planner known as the "systems super-user" in your business.
- A planner who has played a key role in system implementations, upgrades, or rollouts.
- Someone comfortable translating commercial retail needs to developers, BAs, and external vendors.
Why Apply?
- Broaden Your Career: Step into systems, process optimisation, and retail transformation without losing your commercial edge.
- Broader Scope: Influence the technology and ways of working for an entire merchandise function rather than just one portfolio.
- Clear Career Pathways: Build high-demand skills that open future doors in Planning Leadership, Business Analysis, and Commercial Transformation.
Referral Bonus
Not right for you, but know someone perfect?
We offer a $500 referral bonus if your referral is successfully placed.
https://www.retailworldresourcing.com/refer-a-friend
Get in Touch For a confidential discussion, reach out directly:
Abhishek Devaraj
E: abhishekd@retailworld.co.nz
M: +64 22 462 4099