Job Overview:The
Director of Inventory Optimization and Operations Planning is responsible for leading enterprise-wide inventory optimization initiatives, sales and operations execution (S&OE) processes, inventory policy governance, and planning capability transformation, including mid-range capacity planning. Working closely with senior leaders across Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, Commercial, Finance, and Logistics, this role drives business decisions requiring strategic, financial and operational analysis to unlock growth, reduce working capital and warehouse space needs, improve service performance, and operational efficiency through data-driven analysis and cross-functional collaboration.
Operating with a high degree of autonomy and influence, this position serves as the business lead for inventory optimization and planning policy development, translating long-term business objectives into actionable inventory strategies, operating models, and planning recommendations. The Director will lead highly visible, enterprise-wide initiatives, driving decisions and providing recommendations to senior and top management to improve service, reduce inventory investment, mitigate obsolescence, and support sustainable business growth.
The ideal candidate will have prior experience driving results in inventory optimization, supply chain planning, and integrated business planning processes though direct and indirect leadership combined with a demonstrated ability to lead large-scale change initiatives through collaboration, influence, and analytical rigor. Blending strong internal capabilities with creative, external perspectives, the successful candidate will shape the S&OP process, implement supply chain inventory strategies, facilitate process improvements, and provide strategic guidance on key business decisions across the organization. With direct access to senior executives, this individual will lead highly visible projects that will have a significant impact on the direction and performance of the company and will be a trusted advisor to senior leadership and champion continuous improvement across the end-to-end supply chain.
Position responsibilities- Serve as a key member of leadership and contribute to the development and execution of the Sales and Operations Planning team, while leading and executing operational and organizational strategies and plans
- Lead cross-functional inventory optimization efforts; working closely with senior Commercial & Supply Chain leadership, enabling our supply chain network to adapt and scale to accommodate business growth, removing barriers and mitigating risks that impact inventory working capital, while ensuring customer, operational and business needs are met.
- Lead end-to-end inventory planning by turning o9's Core MEIO outputs into actionable recommendations that are presented to senior leadership to define annual inventory targets. Position will serve as the MEIO business subject-matter expert with detailed knowledge of MEIO configuration, parameters, and logic. This person will be critical to interpret business and technical requirements, as well as drive education and adoption across the planning team.
- Implement clear inventory targets and establish Days on Hand (DOH) settings and policies within our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and Integrated Business Planning tools (o9) that will have significant impact on the company's financial results (e.g. inventory working capital position) and that need to be balanced to avoid service disruptions & customer fines
- Develop, implement, and lead cross functional sales and operations execution (S&OE) processes that support and align with the S&OP process
- Work cross functionally to design, model, and optimize inventory across the supply chain network to ensure the right product is in the right place, at the right time at lowest landed cost
- Provide recommendations to senior leadership on manufacturing and warehousing capacity planning on 12+ month timeframe focused on meeting regional demand growth (e.g., from innovation, service challenges or new product launches, etc.)
- Support capacity investment / divestment decisions aligned with broader strategic objectives and long-range demand volume plans
- Build cross-functional coalitions across teams with different perspectives and drive alignment among senior leaders with actionable analysis
- Accountable for driving financial results particularly on working capital and obsolescence reduction while ensuring that strategy is executed successfully to change business outcomes
- Structure and define approach to new strategic, operational & financial problems
- Develop Supply Chain Planning Center of Excellence to drive advanced optimization, adoption, and continuous improvement across the enterprise
Total Rewards:- Salary range $155,500 - $225,000
- Actual placement within the compensation range may vary depending on experience, skills, and other factors
- Benefits, subject to elections and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Paid Time Off, 401k with company match, Tuition Reimbursement, and Mileage Reimbursement
- Annual bonus based on performance and eligibility
- Long-term incentive equity based on eligibility
Requirements:- 8+ years in supply chain planning with progressive leadership responsibility, ideally within CPG, food & beverage, or another high-volume manufacturing/distribution environment.
- Strong leadership and expertise in end-to-end inventory optimization principles
- Strong data analysis skills and working knowledge of 'o9 MEIO Core' configuration, data, and inventory safety stock calculations and principles
- Experience with a leading strategy consulting firm or in consumer goods or retail products
- Strong leadership skills, including strategic thinking, project leadership, collaboration, and influencing skills as well as ability to manage ambiguity
- Demonstrate very strong analytical thinking and problem solving skills and the ability to learn and adapt quickly
- Experience working with ERP systems, SAP preferred
- Good oral and written communication skills - the ability to communicate at senior leadership levels with ability to quickly gain credibility
- Outstanding collaboration skills, with proven ability to work with multiple stakeholders across business lines to accomplish shared goals and manage expectations
- High level of maturity and interpersonal skills
