Inventory Planner

Border States • Fargo, ND

21h • Onsite

About The Position

The Inventory Planner facilitates two-way communication between local branch sales and operations teams and centralized purchasing and demand-planning teams regarding demand forecasts, inventory availability, slow-moving inventory reduction, and supplier performance. The position provides inventory, demand-planning, and purchasing consultation to branches and serves as a primary contact for the assigned region.

The role oversees, analyzes, and coordinates project inventory to maximize availability, turnover, and profitability throughout a project. It also works with branch sales teams serving key open-market customers to review customer-specific inventory service and performance and proactively address inventory or purchasing concerns.

The position is located in Fargo, North Dakota. Border States is an employee-owned electrical supply distributor with approximately 130 locations in 31 states. The company describes its culture as employee-owned and emphasizes customer service, open-book management, and employee empowerment.

Requirements

• Four-year business or technical degree, or equivalent work experience.
• At least 2 years of experience in inventory management, supply chain, or demand/supply planning.
• Solid understanding of demand planning and forecasting concepts, including trending and seasonality; inventory management; stocking parameters such as order points, lead times, and quantities; distribution networks; and hub-spoke replenishment.
• Strong data analysis and manipulation skills, including MS Excel and Access.
• Excellent conflict-resolution and negotiation skills.
• Ability to take a collaborative approach to problem-solving.
• Excellent customer service skills, including competence, accuracy, responsiveness, and engagement.
• Ability to perform essential job duties and satisfy job requirements with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in wholesale distribution, electrical manufacturing, or electrical wholesaling.
• Familiarity with the electrical wholesaling industry and electrical products.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with branch leadership on aggregate demand forecasts and adjust forecasts based on qualitative or anecdotal feedback.
• Identify seasonal product families for each branch and schedule follow-up reviews based on seasonal patterns.
• Collaborate with branch support inventory demand planners and purchasing specialists on inventory ramp-up and ramp-down.
• Facilitate communication between branches and the Branch Support Center regarding product or vendor conversion projects.
• Coordinate with branch support and branch stakeholders on stocking-parameter setup and purchasing activities for project phases.
• Oversee and analyze project inventory availability, sales-order date management, and project status.
• Ensure stocking parameters and inventory are phased out to avoid overstock when projects end.
• Regularly review consignment inventory levels and turnover by customer, and coordinate changes through applicable account managers.
• Review product stocking status with branch operations, counter, and inside sales staff, including removing reorder points for unnecessary slow-moving products, adding reorder points for non-stocking products with sufficient sales history, and maintaining complete offerings for key service-item product families.
• Collaborate with branch leadership and sales and inventory teams to gather and provide feedback on operational effectiveness, strategy, and updates for effective inventory management.
• Communicate scorecard information, key findings, and inventory updates to inventory and purchasing teams and the executive council.
• Present inventory and purchasing updates, strategy changes, and other key information at committee meetings.
• Coordinate and lead frequent inventory committee meetings with branch leadership, account managers, demand planners, and buyers.
• Review regional hub-and-spoke settings.
• Participate in vendor and product training.
• Attend regional trade shows and sales-planning events.
• Complete other duties as assigned by a manager or designee.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision benefits.
• Accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity coverage.
• Flexible spending account (FSA) and health savings account (HSA).
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
• Disability benefits.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Life insurance.
• Employee Assistance Program.
• Paid holidays.
• Paid volunteer time.
• Personal leave time.
• Bonuses for employee-owners upon achievement of branch and company goals.
• Additional benefits are available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level