Inventory and Demand Planner

Job description

Position Overview While partnering with cross-functional teams, the Planner will help build and translate category and business strategies into actionable plans that align sales, margin, and inventory with our company’s financial goals. The role will leverage sales trends, product lifecycles, and factory capabilities to ensure products are available at the right time and in the right quantities while proactively identifying risks and opportunities. The ideal candidate is curious, analytical, commercially minded, and sees planning as a strategic function. This is an opportunity to help build structure, improve processes, and meaningfully influence how our planning organization operates. *This position is on-site 3 days/week at our Cranbury, NJ; Pittsfield, MA or NY, NY locations Essential Job Functions Own demand, inventory, forecasting, replenishment, and OTB planning for an assigned business segment, balancing sales, margin, in-stock, and inventory efficiency goals. Develop bottom-up SKU and category plans and reconcile them to top-down financial targets, ensuring alignment to sales budgets, OTB, and inventory objectives. Analyze sales, margin, sell-through, velocity, product lifecycle, and channel trends to build accurate forecasts and proactively identify risks and opportunities. Calculate receipt and inventory needs based on rate of sale, demand, lead times, and inventory position; develop and present buying and inventory investment strategies to leadership. Collaborate purchase requests as needed with suppliers to confirm quantities, timing and receipt flow. Manage department and subclass OTB, on-order inventory, and receipt flow, partnering with Marketing, Sales, and vendors to optimize quantities, timing, and availability. Prioritize high-volume and key SKUs to maximize in-stocks and revenue while minimizing excess and aged inventory; develop flow strategies for Key Accounts and other critical channels. Support pre-season, seasonal, and one-time buy forecasting, as well as product lifecycle and SKU rationalization efforts. Monitor forecast accuracy, inventory health, in-stock performance, and business trends; provide clear reporting, recommendations, and action plans through OTB and business reviews. You Have Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Operations, Retail Management, Business Management, or related field; equivalent experience considered. 4+ years of experience in retail merchandise planning, merchandising, demand forecasting, or inventory management. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to conduct root-cause analysis, identify opportunities, and drive continuous improvement in a team environment. Strategic thinker with a focus on both big-picture planning and attention to detail. Results-driven with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and effectively prioritize competing business needs. Strong understanding of retail math, inventory planning, forecasting, OTB, and financial planning fundamentals. Cross-functional relationship-building skills, with the ability to effectively partner with key stakeholders. Strong critical thinking skills with a focus on balancing customer needs, inventory productivity, sales opportunities, and profitability. Preferred Skills Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, with the ability to manipulate, analyze, and interpret large data sets. Strong understanding of retail math, merchandise planning, inventory investment, OTB, and receipt management. Experience with ERP, data warehouse, and Business Intelligence tools; Sigma experience strongly preferred. General understanding of—and curiosity about—how AI and emerging technologies can be leveraged to improve sales, inventory, forecasting, and factory/supplier planning processes. Your Life and Career at RugsUSA A culture that promotes a healthy work/life balance Benefits package offered to all eligible full-time employees (including medical, dental, vision, PTO, 401(k) Exposure to career advancement opportunities across all departments Generous employee discount that can be used across our house of brands! About RugsUSA Since launching in 1998, Rugs USA has established itself as a leading innovative online destination for an extensive variety of high-quality, on-trend area rugs at prices customers won’t find anywhere else. Passionate about the impact that the perfect rug brings to a space, we foster close relationships with the designers, artisans, and factories who make our goods, giving us the ability to simplify our business model and deliver exceptional pricing and a vast assortment of styles. By guiding our customers through the rug buying process and offering a curated selection of complementary lighting and accessories, we’ve become our customers’ ultimate secret weapon in bringing their vision of home to life - at any budget.