Director, Data Analytics - Inventory Operations - HYBRID

Nordstrom•Seattle, WA

7d•$160,000 - $250,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Since 1901, Nordstrom has been committed to providing customers with the best possible service and experience in fashion. We have a relentless drive to exceed customer expectations. We continue to grow and evolve to remain the best in the eyes of our customers. Our goal is to be the best fashion retailer in a digitally connected world. Inventory Operations is a pivotal capability in leading this transformation. Be a change leader at Nordstrom as we continue to modernize our Inventory Operations Data Analytics and Reporting for faster insights that are quickly translated into actionable outcomes. The Director of Data Analysis will own the newly unified Inventory Operations Data Analytics organization, spanning business intelligence, reporting, data pipeline and architecture. This leader will develop and lead the Inventory Operations Data Analysts, determining how they best work together, so that data infrastructure and business storytelling move in lockstep. This role will drive the development of new or revised inventory telemetry, performance visualization, and inventory modeling and analysis. They will need to be able to work in a self-start environment, apply high-level problem-solving skills, and demonstrate change leadership, setting an example for their team to follow. The successful candidate must have proven skills in taking initiative to drive key priorities and deliver on or exceed expected results through engagement with internal and external business and data science partners. This candidate must have the ability to understand root cause of problems, demonstrate the value of the analytical solution, and drive business change through targeted performance optimization and enablement of longer-term analytics capabilities. Strong executive verbal and written communication skills and analytical thinking are necessary for driving an elevated level of impact. You own this if you’re a strategic problem solver, strong team building skills, thrive in ambiguity, have a passion for driving organizational change, and have an experienced understanding of data analytics. This individual has a unique blend of strategic, analytic, and collaboration skills with proven experience taking ideas from vision to execution in partnership with product/ technology. The ideal candidate has a strong sense of ownership, sees the big picture, and enjoys bringing large scale initiatives to life. This role reports into the VP of Inventory Movement and carries visibility into Nordstrom's FY26 Evolve Inventory Movement Capability priorities along with making informed recommendations to influence inventory decisions across positioning, replenishment, exhaust, and ordering. You will partner directly with cross-functional leaders across Merchandising, Supply Chain, and Technology, and your team's output will inform decisions made at the SVP and ET level.

Requirements

8+ years of relevant experience with 3+ years leading teams, including direct leadership of both analytics/BI and data engineering functions, or demonstrated fluency in managing both.
A track record of building highly functioning teams and leading through change
Working fluency in both technical languages: BI and visualization tools (Tableau, Looker, or similar) and data engineering fundamentals (SQL, Python, ETL/ELT, cloud data warehousing, pipeline architecture).
Outstanding executive communication and storytelling skills, with the judgment to know when a data engineering constraint needs to be translated into business terms for a non-technical audience.
Strong analytic and root-cause skills paired with the ability to demonstrate the value of a solution, not just diagnose the problem.
A history of building trust across functions and strong collaboration and influence skills
Comfort holding teams accountable to a shared standard and setting clear expectations across the team.
Experience leading a mixed structure, some direct reports who are individual contributors and at least one who is a people manager, and a clear point of view on when a discipline needs its own management layer versus when it doesn't.
Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Analytics, Supply Chain/Logistics, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Retail or supply chain experience strongly preferred, given the operational stakes of inventory decisions on customer experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the integration of the Inventory Operations Data Analytics teams into one organization with a shared roadmap, shared prioritization process, and clear ownership and expectations.
Build and defend a unified data strategy for Inventory Operations: the pipelines and architecture that make data trustworthy, and the reporting and visualization layer that makes it usable by decision-makers who are not analysts.
Lead a combined organization of 10-15 team members, including a Manager of Data Analytics and individual contributors.
Balance team leadership with execution to deliver high-quality results while hiring, developing, and retaining a high-performing team.
Manage the weekly and monthly business review process for inventory data, including the metrics, the follow-up mechanism, and the discipline to keep it decision-focused rather than a status readout.
Identify root causes through analytics and either drive the fix directly or work through the accountable partner to make the improvement repeatable and scalable, rather than a one-time solve.
Reduce manual reporting load across the combined team by pushing toward automated, self-serve data products, and be explicit with your team and stakeholders about where AI and automation change how work gets done.
Represent Inventory Operations data capability in cross-functional forums with Merchandising and Technology partners and escalate risks and tradeoffs to leadership before they become surprises.
Establish a positive work environment conducive to collaboration and teamwork.
Ensure team has the tools, resources, and information they need to be successful.
Strategize with leadership to overcome potential stumbling blocks and resistance.