Director of Planning Operations & Inventory Management

Stuller

$100K — $130K *
Retail & Consumer Goods
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of leadership experience in supply chain, inventory planning, or operations.
  • Demonstrated success in fast-paced, complex environments with high-impact planning roles.
  • Expertise in improving operational metrics like forecast accuracy and inventory turns.
  • Proven experience with ERP and advanced planning tools implementation and optimization.
  • Exemplary leadership skills to build and scale high-performing teams effectively.
  • Strong analytical capabilities for data-driven decision-making and strategy formulation.
  • Exceptional communication skills, adept at influencing stakeholders at all levels.

Responsibilities

  • Own and evolve the inventory management strategy to support business growth.
  • Drive collaboration between merchandising, sales, operations, and finance for seamless execution.
  • Lead functions including demand planning, supply planning, and inventory management.
  • Translate market demand and strategy into executable inventory and capacity plans.
  • Establish effective inventory practices to balance stock availability and cost.
  • Oversee purchase order execution to align inventory flow with demand forecasts.
  • Develop and maintain KPIs for performance accountability across inventory and service levels.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to shape the future of planning operations in a high-growth company.
  • Influence cross-departmental strategy and cultivate an integrated planning approach.
  • Lead and develop a high-performing team with a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Exposure to cutting-edge technologies through the evolution of planning systems.
  • Engage in significant decision-making that affects overall business performance.
Full Job Description
Description

We are seeking a Director of Planning Operations & Inventory Management to build and scale the systems, processes, and team that power our end-to-end planning and inventory strategy. This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for transforming how we forecast, plan, and deploy inventory to support rapid growth, improve service levels, and optimize working capital. You will operate at the intersection of Merchandising, Supply Chain, Finance, and Operations, owning the planning ecosystem and driving cross-functional alignment. This role is ideal for a leader who thrives in ambiguity, enjoys building, and is motivated by delivering measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities
  • Own and evolve the end-to-end planning and inventory strategy, aligning demand, supply, and production to support business growth
  • Drive cross-functional alignment across Merchandising, Sales, Operations, and Finance to ensure integrated, executable plans
  • Lead demand planning, supply planning, production scheduling, procurement, and inventory management functions
  • Translate demand signals and business strategy into actionable plans that balance service levels, capacity, and inventory investment
  • Establish best-in-class inventory management practices to optimize in-stock rates while minimizing excess and obsolescence
  • Oversee purchase order strategy and execution to ensure inventory flow aligns with forecasted demand
  • Build visibility through KPIs and dashboards, driving accountability for service, cost, and inventory performance
  • Identify and proactively resolve constraints across supply, materials, and production to ensure continuity and responsiveness
  • Lead the evolution of planning systems, tools, and processes, including evaluating and implementing new technologies with clear ROI
  • Transform data into actionable insights that inform strategic and operational decision-making
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives using Lean or similar methodologies to improve efficiency, service levels, and cost performance
  • Partner with leadership to shape inventory investment strategy and balance growth, profitability, and customer experience
  • Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing planning and inventory team
  • Create a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
  • Provide clear goals, regular feedback, and development opportunities to elevate team performance
  • Build strong cross-functional relationships to promote transparency, alignment, and effective execution


Basic Qualifications
  • Experience in supply chain, inventory planning, operations, or related fields, with increasing leadership responsibility
  • Proven experience leading planning and inventory functions in a complex, fast-paced environment
  • Strong track record of improving forecast accuracy, inventory turns, and service levels
  • Experience implementing or optimizing planning systems (ERP, demand planning, or advanced planning tools)
  • Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and scale high-performing teams
  • Advanced analytical skills with the ability to translate data into strategic insights and decisions
  • Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management capabilities
  • Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and manage competing priorities
  • Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence at multiple levels of the organization


Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in high-growth or evolving business environments
  • Experience leading transformation of planning systems, tools, and processes
  • Experience building scalable, integrated planning frameworks that align demand, supply, and financial plans
  • Ability to increase visibility and accountability through clear KPIs and performance reporting
  • Ability to strengthen cross-functional alignment, improving speed and quality of decision-making
  • Ability to act as the primary liaison to internal business partners, translating technical software capabilities into strategic business value

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