Toys and Books are at the heart of play, learning and imagination for Kiwi families. As Lead Planner – Toys & Books, you’ll play a pivotal role in shaping categories that delight customers, deliver trusted value and perform strongly across the year – from everyday play to peak moments like Christmas and Back to School. 

The Warehouse Group (TWG) is a Kiwi household name, proudly serving communities across New Zealand through The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery and Noel Leeming. We’re on an exciting journey to become more brand‑centric and customer‑led, with agility and collaboration at the core of how we work. We put the right people in the right roles, empowering them to make meaningful commercial impact. 

As Lead Merchandise Planner – Toys & Books, you will set and lead the end‑to‑end planning strategy for these high‑profile, fast‑moving categories. Partnering closely with the Lead Buyer and wider cross‑functional teams, you’ll drive performance through sharp financial planning, disciplined range management and confident in‑season trading. 

This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll lead and develop a team of planners, embed best‑in‑class planning practices and act as the critical link between customer insight, category strategy and product availability. With strong commercial acumen and the ability to translate data into action, you’ll ensure our customers find the right products at the right time – while delivering against sales, margin and stock efficiency targets. 

Key Responsibilities 

Category Strategy & Trading 

• Lead the category planning strategy in partnership with the Lead Buyer, aligning to brand ambition, customer missions and financial targets. 

• Actively trade the business, identifying trends, risks and opportunities and taking decisive action to optimise outcomes. 

• Clearly communicate performance, insights and actions to stakeholders, ensuring alignment and accountability. 

Range & Lifecycle Management 

• Lead range reviews with the buying team, delivering to critical path milestones and articulating commercial impacts of range decisions. 

• Oversee entry, exit and sell‑through performance to optimise stock flow and lifecycle outcomes. 

• Ensure all ranging decisions and product data are accurate and maintained through core planning tools and processes. 

Financial Planning & Performance 

• Build and deliver category budgets, managing OTB and reforecasting in response to trade and customer demand. 

• Own category financial plans across sales, margin, stock and markdown, balancing opportunity capture with risk management. 

• Analyse product and category performance, driving actions to improve future outcomes. 

Pricing & Promotion 

• Lead pricing, promotional and markdown strategies in line with category and company strategy. 

• Manage clearance and promotional activity to support margin, stock flow and lifecycle objectives in a dynamic market. 

People Leadership 

• Lead, coach and develop your planning team, building capability, confidence and commercial thinking. 

• Foster a collaborative, accountable and high‑performing team culture, role modelling TWG values and behaviours. 

You’re a commercially sharp, customer‑focused planner who thrives in fast‑paced retail environments. You’re confident leading people, influencing stakeholders and turning complexity into clear, decisive action. 

You will bring: 

• 5+ years’ experience in merchandise planning within a large‑scale or multi‑category retail environment. 

• Proven experience leading and developing planners, with a passion for building capability. 

• Strong financial and analytical skills, with the ability to translate data into meaningful commercial decisions. 

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, partnering effectively with buying and cross‑functional teams. 

• A decisive, agile mindset with a strong sense of ownership and accountability. 

• A genuine customer‑first approach, always focused on improving the customer experience. 

Come and help us build ranges that spark joy, imagination and learning for customers across New Zealand. 

We offer a supportive, flexible and high‑performing team environment, plus benefits including: 

• Team member discounts across TWG brands 

• Flexible and hybrid working (up to two days WFH) 

• Wellbeing and development support 

• Paid birthday leave and generous parental leave 

• Free parking, onsite gym and café at our Northcote Support Office 

If you’re passionate about planning, love categories where play meets performance, and enjoy leading people and outcomes - we’d love to hear from you.