A senior, multi-client consulting role for a practitioner who has built genuine depth across retail planning operations, technology product management, technology leadership, and client consulting — and who thrives operating across a portfolio of simultaneous engagements. The Merchandising Transformation Lead is the most senior planning and transformation subject matter expert across ReadyMS's client base: moving between retail businesses, formats and stakeholder groups with the credibility and discipline to drive outcomes in each. Broad retail industry experience across different formats is strongly preferred — the breadth of what you have seen is a core part of what you bring.
Role Requirements
Engagement Type
Retail — multiple formats preferred (specialty, department, large format, grocery, online)
Location
Melbourne, VIC (hybrid — on-site and remote across client portfolio)
Experience
15+ years across all four domains below
Skills
The successful candidate will demonstrate substantive career experience across each of the following four domains. This is not a role for a single-domain specialist — it is for someone who has held genuine accountability in all four, and who brings that full range to every client.
Senior Business Operations — Retail Merchandising
Has operated at a senior level inside one or more retail merchandise planning functions with real commercial accountability. Understands how buying, planning, allocation and replenishment decisions connect to margin and inventory outcomes, and has been in the room when those decisions mattered. Experience across different retail formats — specialty, large format, department store, online-first or grocery — is strongly preferred. Can engage credibly with planning, merchandise, finance and supply chain stakeholders simultaneously, in any retail context.
Has led or materially shaped the definition, evaluation or delivery of retail planning or merchandising technology. Understands what a genuine capability looks like versus a well-presented roadmap item, and knows how to structure an evaluation process that surfaces the difference. Familiar with the retail planning and merchandising platform landscape across multiple vendors, and comfortable assessing fit against complex business requirements without being anchored to any single vendor's perspective.
Technology Leadership
Has exercised meaningful technology leadership in a retail or consulting context — shaping technology strategy, owning a programme of systems change, or acting as the senior technology voice in a transformation. Understands how retail systems connect across the planning and trading landscape, what it takes to sustain them through business change, and the organisational lift required to move teams from fragmented ways of working to an integrated platform.
Has a track record of delivering transformation outcomes for clients across multiple concurrent engagements. Knows how to establish trust quickly, maintain depth across a portfolio without losing presence in any single client, and exit engagements having built capability rather than dependency. Actively uses cross-client pattern recognition — what works, what fails, what vendors claim versus what they deliver — as a deliberate asset in service of every client.
Level of Experience
* Principal or Director-level consulting background
* GM, Planning Director or Head of Merchandising experience
* Experience across 2+ distinct retail formats or sectors
* Led enterprise technology evaluations or vendor selections
* Presented strategy or vendor recommendations at executive level
* Managed concurrent multi-client consulting portfolios
* Deep familiarity with retail planning platforms and vendors
* Authored RFP documentation and vendor scoring frameworks
* Led cross-functional discovery workshops with senior stakeholders
* Track record of transferring capability and building client self-sufficiency
Unlock Job Insights
Your application will include the following questions:
* Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?
* How many years' experience do you have as a Transformation Lead?
* What's your expected annual base salary?
* Are you willing to relocate for this role?
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