The Ideal Candidate
The Senior Manager of Production Planning & Scheduling will manage the planning, supply, and purchasing process to maintain appropriate finished goods inventory for Johnston & Murphy Footwear, Apparel & Accessories. This role partners closely with senior leadership, cross-functional teams, and external partners to balance demand, capacity, and inventory while driving operational efficiency and on-time product availability.
How You Will Make an Impact
Production Planning & Scheduling
• Manage production planning, scheduling, and purchasing activities for J&M Footwear, providing support to the Apparel & Accessories division as needed.
• Manage demand monitoring and adjust forecasts, purchase orders, lead times, and safety stock to align with business needs.
• Facilitate monthly Forecast Meetings with business channel leaders to review inventory requirements, supply chain updates, and key business KPIs.
• Maintain and manage item master data, systems alignment, ensuring accurate reporting and communication to cross-functional teams.
• Drive inventory optimization through hashing processes, new stock number setup, and seasonal data cleanup for non-carryover items.
• Proactively identify risks and offer solutions before issues escalate.
• Maintain ongoing responsibilities related to inventory management, order placement, and data integrity.
Tools, Systems, & Data Management
• Serve as a business leader and subject matter expert on global supply chain platform Infor Nexus, including support for implementation projects, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), and Regression Testing.
• Manage and support technical systems used in production planning, including Jesta S&D, PAXRP, Curve Management, and PIM.
• Create, enhance, and implement new reporting and dashboards to improve visibility into business performance and KPIs.
• Utilize project management and process-mapping tools such as Lucidchart and Smartsheet to support cross-functional initiatives.
• Partner closely with the Sourcing Team to ensure accuracy of purchase order data and placement details across supplier portals and internal systems.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Collaborate closely with Wholesale, Retail, Customer Care, Sourcing, and other departments to optimize inventory utilization and product availability.
• Monitor and validate updates to the Purchase Order Tracker to ensure consistent and accurate data across systems.
• Manage relationships with 3PLs and finishing warehouses, focusing on data management, operational processes, and system accuracy.
• Act as a key contributor and project lead on cross-functional initiatives, demonstrating strong project management and communication skills.
Experience and Skills You'll Need to Have
• Bachelor's degree in Business or related field.
• 7-10 years of wholesale soft goods, demand planning, or DRP software experience
• Prior purchasing and/or production planning experience required
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, with a strong emphasis on Excel for data analysis, reporting, and forecasting.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex information to diverse audiences.
• Quick learner with the ability to adapt rapidly to new systems, processes, and business needs.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and support a small team of managers, providing guidance, direction, and accountability.
• Highly detail-oriented with strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.
• Collaborative and team-oriented, able to build effective working relationships across departments.
• Self-motivated and results-driven, with the ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
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