About the Inventory Planning Team
The Inventory Planning team is responsible for maximizing sales and margin through strategic inventory management.
Overview of the Planning Manager role
As the Inventory Planning Manager, you will be responsible for setting, directing and executing the inventory planning and management strategy for your product category. You will manage the team to execute planning and purchasing in accordance with brand financial plans, working to maximize fulfillment, minimize overstocks, and achieve optimum inventory levels for all selling channels. In partnership with Merchant, Sourcing, and sales Channel teams, you will review and make recommendations regarding merchandising plans and strategies.
Responsibilities
Manage the monthly Open-to-Buy process for your product category
Forecast sales, backorders, margin, receipts and end-of-period inventories.
Gain alignment from your merch partners
Present plan and variances to prior forecast to brand leadership, effectively communicating challenges to maintaining inventory to budget and proposing solutions
Collaborate with your merchant partners to build quarterly bottom-up sales, margin and receipt plans for your division at the SKU level that are presented to senior brand leadership for alignment.
Maintain unit sales forecast in the JustEnough statistical planning software
Participate in weekly business review meetings, communicating relevant inventory issues to brand stakeholders
Propose monthly re-orders for your category, ensuring they optimize to in-stock rates and the inventory budget and pass off to the Supply Chain Optimization (SCO) team for placement.
Monitor and assess current purchase orders monthly for any desired shifts in receipts (pull-up, push-out, cancel) or unexpected shifts in delivery dates.
Create weekly Clearance and Promotional pricing proposals to manage in-season inventory and exits, balancing margin with inventory targets.
Review daily sales results and react to the business
Provide ad hoc reporting for senior leadership and brand partners.
You…
Love to work collaboratively in a group, you have an innate willingness to dig in and contribute with your team
Are a true business owner; comfortable with decision making and calculated risk taking
Enjoy presenting and collaborating with senior leadership
Think innovation is critical in a business environment and support others in creative thinking
Pride yourself on the quality of work and are a stickler for the details
Effectively manage workload amongst competing priorities
Are comfortable working with and leveraging data to develop solutions and business insights
Are driven and motivated by the possibilities ahead
Naturally challenge yourself and others to grow
Qualifications:
5-8 years of experience in Inventory Planning and Management, Retail Systems, or other analytical role
Advanced Excel skills
Proficiency with SQL and other business intelligence/ reporting platforms
Strong analytical thinking skills
Strong understanding of Retail Math
Flexible and growth-oriented mindset
Able to clearly communicate complex ideas
College degree preferred
People First
Putting People First means investing in overall well-being and opportunities to grow and advance within the organization. Depending on the position and location, here are a few highlights of what benefits may be available:
Benefits
Continued Learning
WSI will not now or in the future commence an immigration case or "sponsor" an individual for this position (for example, H-1B or other employment-based immigration).
This role is not eligible for relocation assistance.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, or other applicable state or local laws and ordinances.
Our Company
Founded in 1956, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is the premier specialty retailer of high-quality products for the kitchen and home in the United States. Our family of brands are Williams Sonoma, Williams Sonoma Home, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, Rejuvenation, West Elm, Mark & Graham, Outward, and GreenRow. These brands are among the best known and most respected in the industry. We offer beautifully-designed, stylish and functional products for every area of the home, including the kitchen, living room, bedroom, home office, closet, laundry room and even outdoor spaces. We''ve seen some big changes since our first brick-and-mortar store opened more than half of a century ago. What hasn''t changed is our passion for high-quality products, functional design, outstanding customer service, and enhancing the lives of our customers and the communities where we operate. Today, we''re a multi-brand, multi-channel, global enterprise supported by state-of-the-art technology and some of the most talented teams in retailing - and we''re always looking for new energy and ideas.