Inventory Planning Manager - Firewire

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Title & Reporting Relationships

Position Title:

Inventory Planning Manager - Firewire

Reports to:

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Department:

Operations

Oversees:

Operations & Data Specialist

Interactions:

GM Product - Firewire, GM - Wholesale, CMO, Brand Marketing, Ecommerce, Finance, IT, International Regions, Factories and Vendors, Freight Forwarders

Location:

Carlsbad, CA - in office Monday through Thursday

FLSA Status:

Exempt

Main Purpose and Major Challenges of the Role

The Inventory Planning Manager - Firewire is a hands-on planning and supply chain role responsible for making sure the right Firewire product is in the right place at the right time, across surfboards and hardgoods (fins, leashes, traction, board bags) in every region Firewire sells in: US, Australia/Pacific, Europe, and the UK. The role owns the demand forecast and inventory plan using the existing Firewire Buy Tool and forecasting model, is a key stakeholder in shaping the automation of that tool as part of the company AI initiative, turns that plan into purchase orders, and follows those orders through factory production, freight, and warehouse receiving. It also owns the accuracy of Firewire product and inventory data in the company ERP (Acumatica), Shopify, and reporting tools. Reporting to the COO, the role leads the Operations & Data Specialist, who executes day-to-day PO, shipment tracking, and data workflows. This position has a 4 day in office expectation.

The major challenges are balancing long factory lead times and seasonal surf demand against inventory investment, keeping product moving from factory to warehouse to customer without gaps, and keeping system data clean enough that every team can trust the numbers. This role combines the core supply chain functions of planning, purchasing, logistics, and data into one position, so it needs someone equally comfortable building a forecast, chasing a late shipment, and coaching a direct report.

ACCOUNTABILITY: DEMAND & INVENTORY PLANNING

Demand Planning

• Own and run the existing Firewire Buy Tool and forecasting model across the US, Australia/Pacific, Europe, and UK regions, with Wholesale and Ecommerce planned separately in each region.
• Forecast demand by model, construction, and size using trailing 12-month, last 3-month, and forward 3-month sales, open sales orders, unfulfilled backorders, and dealer pre-books.
• Plan new releases using comparable models and launch dates, and plan carryover models from their own sales history.
• Manage in-season forecasting to meet or exceed KPIs, including sales, margin, inventory health, turns, and weeks of supply.
• Keep the Buy Tool's inputs current, including lead times, forward-month coverage, size scales, and the cost sheet, and refine them to improve demand accuracy over time.
• Align forecasts with GM - Wholesale, Ecommerce, GM Product - Firewire, the international regions, and Finance, including launch timing.

Buy Tool Automation & AI

• Act as a key stakeholder in automating the Firewire Buy Tool and forecasting model as part of the company AI initiative. The build is owned by IT and the AI initiative team; this role helps shape how the tool works.
• Share how the buy and forecasting process works today, including the Acumatica exports (POs and inbound shipments, trailing 12-month sales, shipping history, open sales orders, inventory by warehouse, and factory WIP) that are refreshed and rolled up by hand in Excel.
• Define what the automated tool needs to do and help prioritize which steps to automate first, such as the data refresh, the regional buy sheets and global roll-up, and the buy summary.
• Test and validate automated forecasts and buy recommendations against actual results, give feedback until they are right, and keep human review on final buy decisions.
• Adopt the automated tool in the monthly buy process and help train the regions and other users on it.

Inventory Planning

• Monitor stock on hand, POs on order, WIP, and months on hand weekly by region, and analyze sell-through, turns, and aging to find stockouts, overstocks, and slow-moving items early.
• Plan and track consignment inventory at dealer locations (local and non-local), and include it in buy and months-on-hand calculations.
• Set and maintain model stock and replenishment levels for core surfboard models, constructions, and dimensions, and for core hardgoods.
• Maintain size scales (board dimension mix) by model and region to guide pre-season and in-season buys and avoid out-of-stocks.
• Review the demand plan against the financial plan, flag risks and opportunities, and recommend actions to reduce inventory risk.
• Evaluate aged inventory and recommend price action (markdowns, closeouts, promotions) based on weeks of supply, sell-through, and seasonality.

ACCOUNTABILITY: PURCHASING & PRODUCT FLOW

Buy Planning & Purchase Orders

• Use the Firewire Buy Tool to turn the approved inventory plan into regional buy recommendations and purchase orders, including the final buy roll-up after dealer pre-book and market periods.
• Communicate the monthly buy to each international region after the Buy Tool is run: meet with each region to review its buy, talk through quantities, timing, and any changes, and get regional sign-off before purchase orders are placed.
• Manage made-to-order (MTO) and custom board demand by matching open sales orders to PO needs in each region.
• Own the complete PO lifecycle (entry, confirmation, changes, and receipting), with day-to-day execution by the Operations & Data Specialist, and make sure it is accurate and on time.
• Maintain the buy and shipping calendars so purchasing steps happen on time, and keep them aligned with the product development calendar.

Factory Loading & Production

• Track factory WIP and production orders, including the Thailand factory, against open purchase orders, and level-load production across regions to prevent bottlenecks.
• Manage regional shipment plan loads and adjustment requests from the international regions.
• Hold ultimate responsibility for factory communication on order confirmations, delivery dates, and documentation. The Operations & Data Specialist is the day-to-day point of contact for factories, and this role makes sure issues, including mismatches between POs, packing lists, and commercial invoices, are resolved.

Shipments & Inbound

• Work with freight forwarders to keep end-to-end visibility of international shipments, and act early on transit delays or port disruptions.
• Support customs documentation and compliance for imported goods, including duty drawback where applicable.

ACCOUNTABILITY: REGIONAL & FACTORY INVENTORY COMMUNICATION

Regions

• Serve as the point person for the international regions (US, Australia/Pacific, Europe, and UK) on all Firewire inventory questions, including stock availability, open POs, factory WIP, inbound timing, and backorders.
• Hold regular check-ins with each region to review inventory position, months on hand, sell-through, and upcoming needs.
• Take in regional requests, such as buy changes, shipment plan adjustments, and transfers between regions, and give each region a clear answer and timeline or escalate when needed.
• Proactively alert regions to delays, shortages, or overstocks that affect them, with recommended actions.
• Coordinate inventory moves between regions to cover shortages and reduce excess.
• Keep every region aligned on the buy calendar, deadlines, and any process changes.

Factory

• Serve as the point person for the factories on inventory, including the Thailand factory: communicate the approved buy, production priorities, and changes in regional demand.
• Review inventory position, WIP, and production timing with the factories regularly, and agree on priorities when demand or capacity shifts.
• Work through inventory issues with the factories, such as shortages, delays, and excess, and keep the regions informed of the outcome.
• The Operations & Data Specialist remains the day-to-day contact for order confirmations, delivery dates, and documentation.

ACCOUNTABILITY: PRODUCT DATA & SYSTEMS

Style Master & ERP

• Hold ultimate ownership of the Firewire style master and product data integrity in the company ERP, Acumatica. The Operations & Data Specialist owns day-to-day style master and item setup, including third-party product, and this role reviews the work and makes sure it is accurate.
• Make sure the Shopify product catalog matches Acumatica, with the Specialist working closely with the Ecommerce team.

Data Integrity & Reporting

• Hold ultimate ownership of data integrity. The Operations & Data Specialist owns the daily data checks, and this role sets the standards for them, to catch duplicate entries, missing fields, and mismatches before they reach reports.
• Hold ultimate ownership of data integrity in Brandscope, the B2B order platform that sales teams and wholesale dealers in the international regions use to enter their orders. The Operations & Data Specialist owns the Brandscope data integration and day-to-day data integrity, and this role makes sure product, pricing, and availability are accurate so orders can be placed without errors.
• Set the priorities for BI dashboards and standard reports covering in-season selling, inventory health, open POs, and inbound shipments. The Operations & Data Specialist builds and maintains them.

ACCOUNTABILITY: TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Lead, coach, and develop the Operations & Data Specialist through weekly one-on-ones, clear priorities, and regular performance reviews.
• Divide work so the Specialist owns day-to-day PO entry, factory communication, shipment tracking, inbound coordination, style master setup, data integrity checks, Brandscope data integration, and BI dashboards and reporting, while this role owns the plan, decisions, and escalations.
• Review the Specialist's work for accuracy, remove roadblocks, and step in to cover critical tasks when needed.
• Document processes and SOPs for planning, purchasing, and data workflows so the team can scale and cross-cover.
• Partner with HR on hiring, onboarding, development plans, and any performance issues.

ACCOUNTABILITY: FINANCE & BUSINESS ANALYSIS

• Partner with Finance on inventory budgets, open-to-buy, and inventory investment so purchasing stays aligned with financial targets.
• Analyze the business regularly to understand what is driving results, and partner with Product and Sales on SKU productivity, including cutting unproductive SKUs.
• Prepare in-season selling analysis and post-season hindsighting for product reviews and senior leadership meetings, highlighting product and delivery risks and opportunities.
• Report key supply chain KPIs (forecast accuracy, weeks of supply, on-time delivery) and recommend improvements.
• Complete ad hoc planning and supply chain projects as needed.

HOW WE WORK

• Keep an open mind while exercising sound professional judgment.
• Think as one company and one brand, putting the company's best interests ahead of any single individual or team.
• Live the company vision and values.
• Challenge the status quo, take smart risks, innovate, and learn from failures.
• Own the outcome: resolve bottlenecks quickly and keep stakeholders informed with clear, concise updates.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Information Systems, or a related analytical field preferred.
• [3-5] years of experience in inventory or merchandise planning, supply chain, purchasing, or logistics, ideally in surf, action sports, or outdoor hardgoods.
• Hands-on experience with demand forecasting, PO management, and allocations across wholesale and direct-to-consumer channels.
• Experience with international freight and shipment tracking.
• Experience supervising or mentoring at least one direct report is preferred.

Skills

• Strong planning math and business acumen, including sell-through, turn, weeks of supply, markup, margin, and open-to-buy.
• Excellent attention to detail and a low tolerance for data errors.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn data into clear recommendations.
• Clear verbal and written communication, including presenting findings to senior leaders.
• Highly organized, able to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong partner who works well across Product, Sales, Finance, and outside vendors.
• Comfort working with new systems and AI tools, and the ability to explain planning needs clearly to IT and project teams.
• Able to coach, delegate, and hold a direct report accountable while staying hands-on.

Technical

• Strong Acumatica ERP experience (or a comparable ERP), including item setup, PO management, and allocations.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, lookups, data modeling).
• Experience with BI and reporting tools such as Power BI; exposure to Shopify, Brandscope, WMS, PLM, or data tools such as Datarails, Microsoft Fabric, or Parabola is a plus.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

• Ability to lift up to [50] lbs and handle surfboards and boxed product when working with samples or at the warehouse.