DescriptionOverviewThe Director of Supply Planning & Purchasing owns the purchasing and inventory strategy for blank apparel - tees, fleece, performance wear, and other decoration-ready stock - that feeds our decoration operations. This role manages purchasing against the open-to-buy plan in close partnership with Finance, sets safety stock to hit customer service-level targets, and serves as an integral, standing voice in the monthly S&OP process. The ideal candidate is comfortable managing a broad and varied SKU portfolio across multiple classifications and suppliers with differing lead times, and translating demand signals from Demand Planning into a purchasing plan that keeps decoration operations running without interruption.
Job ResponsibilitiesPurchasing & Open-to-Buy- Plan and place purchase orders for blank apparel across a portfolio of suppliers, balancing cost, quality, and speed.
- Own purchasing execution against the open-to-buy (OTB) plan - pacing commitments to budgeted inventory investment, flagging variances early, and reconciling actuals against plan on a recurring cadence.
- Partner with Finance on OTB development, inventory investment targets, working-capital planning, and cost/landed-cost assumptions.
- Manage a broad and varied SKU portfolio spanning multiple product classifications, fabrications, and price points, sourced from a diverse supplier base with differing lead times, minimums, and capacity constraints.
Supply & Demand Planning- Build and maintain rolling supply plans that translate demand into supplier commitments, blending historical sell-through, seasonal team/league programs, and licensed-goods demand spikes.
- Partner closely with the Demand Planning and Forecasting team to align on demand signals, consumption assumptions, and forecast accuracy, ensuring purchasing plans are built on a shared, trusted number.
- Set and continuously tune safety stock policy by SKU/category to hit target customer service levels, balancing fill-rate commitments against inventory carrying cost.
S&OP & Cross-Functional Alignment- Serve as an integral, standing participant in the monthly sales & operations planning (S&OP) process, bringing the purchasing and supply view to the table alongside Sales, Licensing, Demand Planning, and Finance.
- Coordinate with Sourcing and Product Development on category strategies and cost initiatives without compromising quality or service levels.
Vendor & Inventory Management- Manage blank goods inventory across distribution locations, driving turns, minimizing aged and excess stock, and resolving allocation conflicts when demand outpaces supply.
- Anticipate and manage supply disruptions -capacity constraints, freight delays, tariff or cost shifts - and build contingency plans that protect customer commitments.
Systems & Reporting- Maintain forecasting and purchasing data in the ERP/planning system (Logility), building management-ready reporting on OTB position, fill rates, lead times, and supplier performance.
- Identify and drive improvements to planning tools and processes as SKU count and order volume scale.
Team Leadership- Build, coach, and lead a planning/purchasing team, setting priorities and development plans as the function scales.
Minimum QualificationsRequired- 9+ years of experience in supply planning, purchasing, or sourcing, ideally within decorated apparel, promotional products, licensed goods, wholesale apparel, or team dealer distribution.
- Direct experience purchasing blank/greige apparel stock for a decoration, embellishment, or private-label operation.
- Demonstrated experience managing an open-to-buy process in close partnership with Finance.
- Proven ability to plan and purchase across a broad spectrum of SKUs and product classifications simultaneously, across suppliers with varied lead times and constraints.
- Strong understanding of S&OP processes and demand/supply planning fundamentals - forecast accuracy, safety stock, fill rate.
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, business, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Preferred- Experience with demand planning and ERP/planning systems; Logility experience strongly preferred.
- APICS/CPIM or CPSM certification.
- Demonstrated experience building and leading a planning or purchasing team.
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the associate. Other duties will be assigned as needed.
