Inventory Planner - Pottery Barn

About the role

The Inventory Planning organization is responsible for the strategic planning of inventory positions to drive sales, manage inventory turn and meet or exceed financial targets for your area of responsibility. Inventory associates are innovators, optimizers and problem solvers who are constantly seeking opportunities to move the business forward. You will collaborate with other business functions to support a product strategy intended to meet our customers’ needs.

Overview of the Inventory Planner role

You are responsible for delivering a best-in-class customer experience through the strategic management of inventory for a specific product category. You will partner with the Merchandising, Sourcing, E-commerce teams and Distribution to maximize sales and in-stocks, optimize inventory turn, and drive profitable growth.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Merchants to create pre-season, item-level sales plans that align with product rankings, merchandising strategies and tops-down financial goals.
• Create inventory strategies that balance the composition of new and core, carry-over merchandise, support in-stock and turn objectives, and fit within the bounds of departmental receipt budget.
• Determine item level order quantities and flow strategies and partner with Supply Chain Coordinator/Assistant Planner to ensure timely and accurate execution of purchase orders.
• Own monthly forecasting of department level open-to-buy and recommend near term actions to achieve sales goals and budgeted inventory EOMs.
• Determine markdown and end-of-life disposition strategies for non-go forward products.

Criteria

• Previous experience in retail merchandising or degree in merchandising preferred
• Minimum two years of experience in Inventory Management in retail
• Proven ability to objectively interpret data and extract actionable insights that drive the business
• Proficiency in retail math and experience managing a traditional open-to-buy
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills; comfortable addressing all levels within an organization
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload to meet deadlines
• Proficiency in MS Excel
• Ability to work onsite in the San Francisco office Monday - Thursday and work remotely on Fridays