Inventory Planner - Outlet

Williams-Sonoma•The Colony, TX

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Inventory Planner, Outlet is responsible for strategic planning and management of inventory across Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s Outlet business, including Outlet Stores and Outlet Online, across all brands. As part of the Outlet Inventory team, the planner owns the channel’s sales, margin, and inventory plan and manages the flow of brand overstock transfers and customer returns to deliver appropriate inventory to stores at the right time. The role partners with Outlet Buyers, Distribution, DC/Supply Chain, brand Merchandising and Planning teams, and field leadership to maximize sales, protect margin, optimize inventory turn, and support profitable growth. It reports to the Outlet Inventory Manager and is accountable for Outlet sales, MMU, inventory, and turn goals in the financial budget. The position is responsible for financial planning and forecasting; managing inventory flow across brands, stores, and online; recommending promotions, markdowns, and liquidation strategies; maintaining planning milestones and supporting channel and store assortment decisions; delivering inventory reporting and analysis; and collaborating across Outlet teams and business partners. The role also supports onboarding, training, and mentoring assistant planners, and requires occasional travel within the country. The position is onsite at the company’s office in The Colony, Texas, Monday through Thursday, with a remote option on Friday. It is not eligible for relocation assistance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent professional experience.
Three to five years of experience in Merchandise Planning or Inventory Management.
Proficiency in retail math and experience managing a traditional open-to-buy.
Ability to interpret data objectively and extract actionable business insights.
Advanced Excel skills.
Understanding of supply chain and distribution processes, including inventory allocation, transfers, and returns.
Strong collaboration and communication skills, including comfort addressing all organizational levels.
Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload to meet deadlines.
Flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities and the ability to work in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in outlet, off-price, or clearance businesses.
Five or more years of experience in the retail industry.
Multi-channel experience across stores and e-commerce.
Experience with reporting and business intelligence tools such as Qlik, and with MRP/ERP systems.
Experience leading others in project settings, mentoring, and complex problem solving.

Responsibilities

Own monthly Open to Buy forecasts for Outlet sales, MMU, receipts, and end-of-period inventory by brand and channel, and recommend actions to meet sales goals and budgeted inventory levels.
Partner with Buyers and Finance to create pre-season and annual Outlet plans aligned with financial goals and brand inventory strategy.
Plan the mix of allocated brand overstock and chip-and-dent inventory to meet MMU dollar and rate goals.
Conduct in-season forecasting and ad hoc analysis to identify inventory risks and opportunities and estimate the impact of shortages and excess inventory.
Manage inventory flow across brands, incorporating brand overstock transfers, customer returns, and brand-store transfers into a unified inventory plan.
Partner with Distribution to allocate large-cube, clearance, and slow-moving product to Outlet Stores, supporting model-stock density and DC capacity needs.
Review brand inventory positions and facilitate opportunities to reallocate inventory to Outlet to drive sales.
Review returns disposition logic across distribution centers and develop strategies to add inventory to Outlet Online from across the network.
Support Outlet Online site and assortment strategies, including expanded offerings, filtering and sorting, and improved condition categorizations.
Recommend targeted promotions and progressive markdowns on aging inventory to maximize sales and margin and address inventory gluts.
Develop and execute liquidation strategies for store relocations and closures that minimize margin erosion and support real estate plans.
Determine end-of-life disposition strategies for aged and non-saleable inventory.
Create and maintain a monthly milestone calendar covering seasonal allocation timing and assortment flow dates, aligning Buying, Planning, and Distribution on product flow, transfers, and inventory priorities.
Partner with Buyers on channel-appropriate, brand-balanced assortments, including standalone and shared-store offerings.
Use store profiles and market analysis to inform localized store assortment and inventory decisions.
Deliver reporting on store and DC inventory, pending transfers, seasonal ownership, allocation tracking, and category performance.
Use reporting and planning tools, including Qliksense and MicroStrategy, to inform forecasts and turn analysis into action.
Use historical data to identify product, pricing, and inventory learnings and apply them to future seasons.
Improve monthly shopping and planning processes across cross-functional teams.
Collaborate as part of the Outlet Inventory team across Buying, Planning, and Distribution, sharing information and aligning on priorities.
Communicate proactively and clearly with stores, DC/Supply Chain, Transportation, and brand partners, highlighting risks and opportunities.
Contribute to a people-first, entrepreneurial, accountable culture that recognizes success.
Support new-hire onboarding and provide training and mentorship to assistant planners.
Travel within the country occasionally.

Benefits

Generous discount on all WSI brands.
401(k) plan and other investment opportunities.
Paid vacations, holidays, and time off to volunteer.
Health benefits, including dental and vision insurance and same-sex domestic partner benefits.
Tax-free commuter benefits.
Wellness program supporting physical, financial, and emotional health.
In-person and online learning opportunities through WSI University.
Cross-brand and cross-function career opportunities.
Self-development resources.
Advisor (Mentor) program.
Career development workshops, learning programs, and speaker series.