The Instock Manager plays a critical role in delivering the ideal customer experience, ensuring we have the right product quantities, in the right places, at the right time (i.e., “in stock” and available to ship immediately). To achieve this mission as cost- effectively as possible, Instock Managers work to continuously optimize our end-to- end supply chain, engaging with vendors to improve operational performance metrics, and driving system and process automation with key internal teams. ISMs own the operational components of the P&L, and with vendor managers are responsible for setting and executing operational strategies to optimize sales, margins, turns, and inventory health. ISM with his team of inventory planners is responsible for item level forecasting, inventory management, and financial planning for assigned categories. They analyze and report on the procurement strategy, work with internal groups for network optimization, manage the purchase order creation process, negotiate with vendors to maximize gross profit through improved pricing and supply chain management, and identify future improvement opportunities.
Detailed Role Description:
Supply chain & customer experience
- Manage & optimize purchase, in- stock, and inventory, on all products in product group
- Accountable for purchasing activities in a cost effective and timely manner
- Perform cost- analysis and volume planning for products in their category/s
- Collaborates with vendor managers for
- Promotional strategies
- Creating overall business strategy that optimizes company goals of margin, in- stock, and free cash- flow.
Automation and system enhancement
- Provides scalable solutions for specific issues
- Ability to work with technical teams to advocate for tool enhancements by defining requirements, driving prioritization, and managing implementation
- Creates long-term category solutions that automate or simplify category processes related to inventory management
- Audits and optimizes complex forecasting, inventory planning and Supply Chain systems to ensure performance is within goal/control limits
Vendor management
- Makes smart business transactions with vendors optimizing future deliveries/drop ships/returns/sales
- Identifies and anticipates opportunities (reactive/proactive) for sourcing, revenue, in stock, inventory turns, and planning for next quarter
- Deep understanding of the business’ and vendors needs and can proficiently translate those needs into the right category strategy and site changes
- Demonstrates good judgment and sets appropriate prioritization for team of planners and integrates projects and processes with site merchandising team
- Proposes new planning strategies, features, and planning discount initiatives to department leaders and category vendors
Strategic Planning
- Dives deep to analyze supply chain and operation metrics and develop instock strategy for the category
- Creates annual instock strategic and operational plans for the business
- Works closely with vendor leadership and/or operations senior leaders on strategies to reduce cost, lead time, and waste across the end-to-end supply chain
People management and development
- Holds team accountable for maintaining robust process documentation
- Provides regular peer feedback and coaching
- Sets and balances goals across team to optimize performance against department goals and employee development
- Applies performance standards to team
- Identifies resource needs for team
