Lead Inventory Planning Strategist

$138,000 - $156,000/Yr

Balsam Brands - Redwood City, CA

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - Redwood City, CA

Furniture, Home Furnishings, Electronics, and Appliance Retailers

About the position

The Lead Inventory Planning Strategist is responsible for managing inventory strategically to enhance customer experience in the greenery and décor categories. This role involves collaboration with various teams to optimize inventory efficiency, maximize sales, and identify trends. The strategist will also engage with vendors to support long-term growth and report to the Manager of Inventory Planning.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate a strategic mindset with strong business acumen and resource allocation.
• Create pre-season, item-level sales plans aligned with financial goals.
• Design inventory strategies balancing new and core merchandise.
• Determine item level order quantities and flow strategies, partnering with Procurement.
• Leverage historical data to identify key learnings and apply them to future seasons.
• Present strategies, investments, and recommendations to cross-functional partners and senior leaders.
• Perform in-season forecasting and ad-hoc analysis to identify inventory-related risks and opportunities.
• Develop strong cross-functional partnerships with various teams and external vendors.
• Provide critical thought partnership to functional leads within supported teams.
• Regularly meet with managers to understand team dynamics and support solutions.

Requirements

• 8+ years of work experience, with at least 5+ years in inventory planning or forecasting.
• Bachelor's degree in Math, Finance, Accounting, Business, or Statistics preferred.
• Ability to work autonomously and draw insights from data.
• Excellent business acumen and comfort with ambiguity.
• Strong Excel skills and exceptional communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail in identifying data relationships and trends.
• Proficiency in retail math and experience managing a traditional open-to-buy.
• Creative problem solver with initiative and ability to deliver results within deadlines.
• Experience in retail or e-commerce strongly preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with direct vendor negotiation.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage with 100% of premiums covered for team members.
• Up to $2,000 annual funding toward HSA accounts.
• Medical, transit, and dependent care FSA.
• Infertility coverage on all medical plans.
• Generous parental leave program and flexible return options.
• Company-paid life and AD&D insurance.
• Company-paid short and long-term disability insurance.
• 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar company match up to $4,000 per year.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and mental health wellness perks.
• Paid holidays, annual shutdown week, PTO, and volunteer time-off (VTO).
• Paid 5-week sabbatical leave after 10 years of employment.
• Annual continuous learning benefit up to $1,000 per person.
• Up to $300 flexible reimbursement for work-from-home setup.
• Generous team member merchandise discount.