About the position
The Sr. Allocation & Replenishment Planner at Duluth Trading Company is responsible for driving the creation, management, and execution of allocation and replenishment strategies that align with the merchandising, visual, and inventory initiatives for retail stores. This role involves mentoring and coaching Planners and Associate Planners, managing direct reports, and developing processes to support the company's growth and objectives. The planner will execute strategic initiatives both individually and in collaboration with cross-functional teams, while also leading efforts in process improvements and change management. A key aspect of this position is the analysis of data to identify risks and opportunities, ensuring that inventory levels are optimized to meet sales goals and customer demand. The work environment is based at the company's headquarters near Madison, WI, where face-to-face interactions are valued to foster a culture of learning, creativity, and teamwork. The planner will work in the office Monday through Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Fridays. Responsibilities include developing and implementing allocation and replenishment strategies for assigned merchandise categories, managing inventory flow throughout the product life cycle, creating new store opening assortments, analyzing selling trends, and maintaining reports to react to store-level inventory needs. The planner will also identify strategies to support inventory levels during key promotional periods and manage the end-of-season transfer process, ensuring effective communication with store partners.
Responsibilities
- Develop and implement allocation and replenishment strategies for assigned merchandise categories across all retail locations.
- Manage flow of inventory throughout the product life cycle from the initial allocation through to the daily replenishment review process.
- Create and execute new store opening assortment allocations based on store specific sales plans and capacity requirements.
- Analyze and identify selling trends, acting to maximize selling potential and minimize risk to inventory objectives and profitability.
- Create and maintain weekly and ad hoc reports to analyze and react to store level inventory needs.
- Identify and implement strategies to support inventory levels for key promotional and peak selling periods.
- Monitor late product and communicate impact to floorset to Visual, Inventory and Store partners.
- Manage end of season transfer process including quantifying transfer proposals and communication to stores.
- Evaluate and maximize system capabilities to further enhance allocation/replenishment tools and effectiveness.
- Develop and foster strong cross functional partnerships with the Merchandise Planners, Merchandise Managers, Visual, and DC - Retail Operations.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree and 5 years of allocation/replenishment experience.
- Ability to evaluate financial and business indicators and translate data into actionable information to drive results; requires proficiency in retail math.
- Able to use logic and methods to solve problems and recommend effective solutions, including allocation/replenishment strategies.
- Can present ideas and directions at all levels of the organization that lead and influence others to action.
- Proven strong Allocation/Replenishment systems knowledge (such as: Blue Yonder, Manhattan, SAP, JDA) and advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- Able to build constructive and effective relationships with cross functional partners.
- Ability to balance forward looking and day to day, along with leading projects and change management.
- Ability to guide team to action.
- Possess strong organizational and time management skills, along with strong written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to clearly and concisely identify and summarize complex problems or issues, identify, implement and hindsight solutions.
- High level of analytical thinking and attention to detail with a strong sense of ownership and follow through skills.
Benefits
- 12-week full-pay parental leave
- Paid holiday time for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth
- Health and dental benefits starting the first day of the month following orientation
- An extra day of PTO for your birthday
- Merchandise discount
- Paid parental leave
- Employee stock purchase program
- Company-paid life and disability insurance
