Work From Home Merchandise Allocator (Fashion Retail) | 6am to 2pm PHT, Mon to Fri

SALARY
US$270 per week. Full-time.

HOURS
9:00am to 5:00pm Sydney time (Australian Eastern Time), Monday to Friday.
That is 6:00am to 2:00pm Philippine time now (Australian daylight saving), and 7:00am to 3:00pm PHT from April when daylight saving ends. No night shift.

ABOUT THE ROLE

A well-established premium Australian womenswear brand, selling through its own retail stores and online, is hiring a Merchandise Allocator who owns allocation and replenishment day to day.

This is not an "upload and execute" role. You must understand and explain the drivers behind every allocation: how you seed a new collection, when consolidations make sense, and how you manage priorities with your Planning Manager. If you cannot walk through those fundamentals clearly, this role is not a fit.

You will report to the Planning Manager, work full-time from home on Sydney hours, and have a clear path into merchandise planning with a stable brand.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Own model stock and replenishment across retail stores and ecommerce in the brand's retail ERP / merchandise system (the business runs on AP21; training is available if you have used a similar system)
• Allocate new seasonal collections from first drop through early replenishment, using store tiering, capacity, size profiles, last-season performance and planned intake, not gut feel alone
• Run ongoing allocations, store transfers and consolidations using rate of sale, sell-through, weeks cover, stock on hand, inventory age and broken size runs
• Spot and act on consolidation triggers early (trading data and seasonal / calendar events), and bring a clear recommendation to the Planning Manager rather than waiting to be told
• Turn weekly trade into actions: what to move, replenish, consolidate or mark down, and why
• Prepare weekly and monthly sales, stock and allocation reports that lead with insights and recommendations
• Balance warehouse deadlines, store replenishment pressure and manager requests without dropping the ball, and communicate trade-offs upwards
• Improve and automate manual reports and models where you can

MUST-HAVES

• Fluent spoken and written English (non-negotiable)
• Hands-on experience with a retail ERP or merchandise planning / allocation system (for example AP21 / Apparel21, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Cin7, Retail Pro, JDA / Oracle, or similar). AP21 itself is highly regarded but not required if you have done real allocation work in a comparable system
• Proven stock allocation experience with a fashion retailer, apparel brand or department store
• At least 1 year as an Allocator, Merchandise Assistant or similar inventory / allocation role in fashion, apparel or retail, with exposure beyond pure execution (trade analysis, recommendations, consolidations or markdowns)
• Can clearly explain how you approach allocating a new collection (inputs, sequence, hold-back for replenishment, hero vs slow styles)
• Can name the data points and seasonal events that trigger consolidations, with a real example
• Can manage upwards: prioritise under pressure and give the Planning Manager a decision-ready view
• Strong grasp of retail metrics: sell-through, weeks cover, stock turn, rate of sale, inventory age
• Advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, XLOOKUP / VLOOKUP, formulas, reporting). Shortlisted candidates complete a short Excel analysis task
• Able to work independently, own outcomes end to end, and work Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm Sydney time

HIGHLY REGARDED

• Direct AP21 / Apparel21 experience
• Building or refining store tiering, capacity or size-profile frameworks
• Allocating across both retail and ecommerce
• Automation skills (VBA, Google Apps Script or similar)
• Junior Planner or merchandise planning experience
• A passion for fashion and retail

THE RIGHT PERSON

You do not just push stock. You can explain the commercial logic: how a new collection gets seeded, what forces a consolidation, and how you protect bestsellers while clearing aged inventory. You read the numbers, recommend the next move, and keep your manager informed when priorities collide. You look for ways to improve the process rather than wait to be told.

HOW TO APPLY

Start your application subject line with ALLOC-270 so we know you read the ad. Applications without it, or that skip the questions, will not be reviewed.

1. Attach your updated CV.
2. Answer all three questions below in your application.
3. Confirm your earliest start date and that you can work Mon to Fri, 9:00am to 5:00pm Sydney time (6:00am to 2:00pm PHT now, 7:00am to 3:00pm PHT from April), at US$270 per week.

REQUIRED QUESTIONS

1. A new seasonal collection has just landed in the warehouse and needs first allocation across retail stores and ecommerce before it goes live. Walk us through how you would approach that allocation from scratch. Cover at least: which data and inputs you would pull before you allocate a single unit (for example last season sell-through by store/style/size, store tiering or capacity, size curves, planned intake, ecommerce demand); how you would d ---------- depth by store vs holding back for replenishment; how you would treat hero styles vs slow movers; and what you would check in week one after the drop. Do not give a generic "I would look at sales and send stock" answer. Name the metrics and the sequence.

2. What events or data points would make you recommend consolidating stock (pulling from some stores / channels into others, or back to DC)? Give specific examples across both trading data (for example weeks cover, rate of sale, sell-through, inventory age, broken size runs, stockouts elsewhere) and calendar / seasonal events (for example end of season, promo window, new collection intake, store refit or closure). For one real example from your past role, say what you saw, what you recommended, who you took it to, and what happened.

3. It is Monday morning Sydney time. You have: (a) a new collection allocation that must leave the warehouse today, (b) three stores chasing urgent replenishment on bestsellers that are stocked out, and (c) your Planning Manager has asked for a clear recommendation on consolidating aged winter stock before a promotion next week, for a catch-up in two hours. How do you prioritise, what do you do first, what do you defer, and exactly how do you communicate upwards so the manager has a decision-ready view without you dropping the urgent store or warehouse work?

Fluent English is required.