Director, Inventory Planning

Responsibilities

• Lead team in decision making for all day-to-day activities including: purchasing quantity decisions, distributions and allocations, inbound warehouse appointments, demand forecasting, replenishment, and reporting and analysis.
• Oversee department sales, profit, and inventory forecasting in collaboration with purchasing and logistics.
• Review regular projections/analysis with team for consistency, strategic alignment and thought process.
• Advise on optimal pricing decisions to support purchasing, distribution and selling strategies.
• Manage inventory at a more specific and tactical level for certain departments as needed.
• Execute the allocation of products to stores to maximize sales and profit.
• Manage and maintain department financial forecasts in conjunction with the open to buy.
• Conduct ad hoc analysis to understand business opportunities and develop plans to address.
• Analyze and identify opportunities to improve forecasting, purchasing and allocation methods.
• Constantly re-adjust key parameters that drive replenishment to improve inventory position and flow.
• Partner with planning, purchasing, and IT to develop and enhance tools and processes.
• Respond to store comments and questions and use feedback constructively to improve practices.
• Develop annual inventory plans from department to warehouse to store levels by closely working with business leaders/cross-functional partners in accordance to financial objectives.
• Develop and foster a cohesive team environment with immediate team and cross-functional partners alike.
• Manage team members by providing guidance, objectives, and support as needed.
• Oversee training and development of employees directly and indirectly managed and makes effective staffing decisions.
• Present analytics and reports to various stakeholders to identify and capture business opportunities.
• Be a strong partner to Store Operators, Sales & Merchandising, Suppliers and Distribution Centers; communicate clearly and effectively to inform various stakeholders of status and future changes.
• Visit stores and warehouses as necessary to maintain strong communication and stay on top of opportunities.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10+ years of relevant experience in areas including but not limited to the following – Merchandise Planning, Demand Forecasting, Inventory Allocation, Financial Planning, Data Analytics.
• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail – able to analyze and identify insights from large amounts of data.
• Strong management and mentorship skills with the ability to set clear objectives for a team.
• Creative and strategic thinker that is always pushing status quo in an effort to improve.
• Excellent logical thinking and problem solving skills; can easily diagnose and solve an ambiguous situation or problem.
• Able to build constructive and effective relationships with a broad, diverse group of business partners.
• Strong understanding of general business financial metrics as well as retail specific metrics and math (e.g., discounts, margin).
• Strong communication skills, customer service, organization and attention to detail.
• Expert knowledge and use of Excel and BI platforms; proficient in other MS Office applications and AS400.
• Possesses the “roll-up-your sleeves” attitude and strong personal ownership of work needed to be successful in a flat, entrepreneurial organization.