Overview

The Senior Distribution Planning Manager owns the end-to-end planning operating system for the distribution center. The role translates demand, inventory flow, capacity, labor, equipment constraints, and customer commitments into executable daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal, and peak operating plans. This leader is accountable for production planning, capacity strategy, labor and staffing modeling, wave and slotting strategy, planning accuracy, scenario analysis, and forward-looking risk identification. The position leads the Production Planning / Production Control team and serves as a strategic planning advisor to site leadership while partnering across the distribution network to establish scalable planning standards and best practices.

 

Responsibilities

Position Functions 

• Own the end-to-end site planning process, translating demand forecasts, inventory flow, customer commitments, capacity constraints, and operational priorities into executable operating plans.
• Own the site production plan across inbound, storage, replenishment, Retail, DTC, RTV, picking, packing, shipping, and other operating channels, including planned volume, required labor hours, productivity assumptions, backlog trajectory, and service performance.
• Lead the site S&OP / integrated planning process, partnering with Operations, Transportation, Inventory Control, Finance, Human Resources, Procurement, IT, and network planning teams to align demand, capacity, labor, inventory, and service requirements.
• Own labor and staffing planning for the facility, including headcount requirements, staffing models, shift strategies, overtime requirements, temporary labor needs, and productivity assumptions based on forecasted workload.
• Develop and maintain short-, medium-, and long-range capacity models to identify constraints, available capacity, labor requirements, storage requirements, and service risk before they affect execution.
• Lead scenario planning and contingency modeling for demand spikes, equipment downtime, staffing shortages, inventory disruptions, promotional events, peak periods, weather events, transportation constraints, and other operational risks.
• Own the development of analytics, reporting, and planning tools that optimize how product is released and waved to production while protecting customer delivery commitments and operational productivity.
• Lead the Production Control team responsible for executing approved wave and release strategies, monitoring adherence to plan, escalating variance, and supporting recovery actions when execution deviates from plan.
• Serve as the site subject-matter expert for wave planning, production control, warehouse management planning functionality, and related planning processes; develop technical capability within the planning team and operating functions.
• Own the distribution center slotting strategy in partnership with Inventory Control and Operations, ensuring optimal pick paths, storage utilization, replenishment effectiveness, and inventory flow based on demand and inventory changes.
• Use historical trends, seasonality, SKU velocity, order profile, inventory availability, and network demand signals to provide actionable insights that improve inventory flow and operating decisions.
• Establish planning governance and performance metrics, including forecast accuracy, staffing-plan accuracy, production-plan attainment, capacity utilization, wave adherence, backlog performance, service risk, and other planning KPIs.
• Provide executive-level reporting and recommendations to site and network leadership regarding demand, capacity, labor requirements, operating risks, service exposure, and recommended corrective actions.
• Own the site forward-looking risk assessment, identifying capacity, labor, inventory, system, equipment, transportation, and operational constraints and driving cross-functional mitigation plans before customer or cost performance is impacted.
• Partner with Finance and Operations to optimize cost-to-serve through labor planning, productivity assumptions, overtime strategy, temporary labor strategy, schedule design, capacity utilization, and alternative operating scenarios.
• Lead planning support for major business changes, including new channels, customer programs, peak events, network transfers, system implementations, automation changes, process redesign, and operational launches.
• Partner with other distribution centers and network teams to develop and implement standardized planning, wave, slotting, capacity, and reporting practices that improve performance across the network.
• Lead continuous improvement within Planning and across the site by using data, Power BI, SQL, Excel, WMS tools, automation, and other technologies to reduce manual work and improve planning speed, accuracy, and decision quality.
• Provide planning leadership during significant operational disruption or demand volatility, coordinating priorities and recommended trade-offs across functions to protect service, cost, quality, and safety.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Planning / Production Control organization, establishing clear expectations, technical standards, succession plans, cross-training, performance management, and individual development plans.
• Serve as a strategic planning advisor to site leadership, providing data-based recommendations on labor, capacity, operating schedules, resource allocation, flow, and service-risk trade-offs.
• Use independent judgment, operate with urgency, and make sound recommendations in a fast-paced distribution environment with competing priorities.
• Perform other duties and lead special projects as assigned based on business needs.

Leadership and Decision-Making Expectations 

• Anticipate issues rather than only report them; develop recommended actions and drive timely escalation when cross-functional decisions are required.
• Balance service, labor, productivity, cost, inventory, and capacity trade-offs using data and clearly communicate the business impact of alternatives.
• Build strong partnerships across functions and influence decisions without relying solely on direct authority.
• Develop a planning organization capable of independently managing routine execution while escalating only material risks and decisions.
• Communicate complex planning information in a concise, executive-ready manner for site and network leadership.
• Promote accountability, continuous improvement, standard work, and disciplined follow-through across the planning process.

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience 

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, Operations, Data Analytics, Finance, a STEM-related field, or equivalent relevant experience required.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in distribution, supply chain planning, production planning, operations planning, industrial engineering, or related roles preferred, including leadership responsibility.
• Experience leading planning, production control, capacity planning, labor planning, or a comparable analytical operations function in a large-scale distribution or fulfillment environment.
• Strong experience analyzing large data sets and translating analysis into operating decisions and executive-level recommendations.
• Advanced Excel proficiency required; experience with Power BI, SQL, Python, or comparable analytical tools strongly preferred.
• Experience with warehouse management systems; Manhattan WM or comparable enterprise WMS experience preferred.
• Experience designing and implementing wave, replenishment, slotting, labor, or capacity planning strategies preferred.
• Experience with S&OP, integrated business planning, demand/capacity planning, peak planning, or scenario planning strongly preferred.
• APICS / ASCM, Lean, Six Sigma, data analytics, industrial engineering, or related certification preferred.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, financial, and quantitative skills required.

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 

• Required to sit at a computer workstation and/or desk for a full shift.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• While performing the duties of this job, the associate is regularly required to communicate using various methods.
• Kneeling, stooping, using stairs, reaching, pulling, and moving weights of 5-25 pounds may be required regularly and up to 65 pounds occasionally.
• Must have the ability to reach above and below shoulder level and perform tasks involving repetitive motion as required by the work environment.
• Based on business necessity, associates may be required to temporarily work in other locations that require different physical demands.

Work Environment 

This position works primarily in an office setting within a distribution center and routinely interacts with warehouse operations. The role uses standard office equipment and analytical systems and may require regular presence on the warehouse floor. Based on business necessity, associates may be required to temporarily work in other locations or operating areas that involve different physical or environmental conditions. 

 

 

Benefits

The annual base salary range is $110,000 - $130,000 / yr. This range represents the anticipated low and high end of the salary for this position. Salary will be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data. Salary is one component of the Foot Locker, Inc. total compensation package, which includes the below.

• Employee Discount 
• Paid Time Off 
• Medical | Dental | Vision Coverage 
• 401(k) | Roth 401(k) 
• Life Insurance 
• Flexible Spending Account 
• Opportunities for Advancement 
• Tuition Reimbursement for Qualified Courses 
• Strong Company Culture 
• Employee Resource Groups