Inventory Planner - Outlet

Williams-Sonoma Customer Care Centers•Dallas, TX

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Inventory Planner, Outlet is responsible for strategic inventory planning and management across the Outlet business, including Outlet Stores and Outlet Online, for all Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brands. As part of the Outlet Inventory team, the planner owns the Outlet 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 drive profitable growth. It reports to the Outlet Inventory Manager and is accountable for meeting Outlet sales, MMU, inventory, and turn goals outlined in the financial budget. The role owns monthly Open to Buy forecasting and contributes to pre-season and annual plans. It manages inventory across brands and channels, supports Outlet Online assortment strategies, and recommends promotions, markdowns, and liquidation approaches. It also delivers actionable reporting and analysis, improves planning processes, and collaborates across the Outlet organization. The position requires occasional domestic travel and is onsite in the company’s The Colony, Texas office Monday through Thursday, with a remote option on Friday.

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; an Excel assessment is required before consideration.
Understanding of supply chain and distribution processes, including inventory allocation, transfers, and returns.
Strong collaboration and communication skills, including comfort communicating with all organizational levels.
Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize work and meet deadlines.
Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced, changing environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience in outlet, off-price, or clearance businesses.
Five or more years of retail industry experience, preferably in a multichannel business.
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 of Outlet sales, MMU, receipts, and ending inventory by brand and channel; recommend near-term actions to achieve sales goals and budgeted inventory.
Partner with Buyers and Finance to build 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.
Plan inventory flow across brands, incorporating overstock transfers, customer returns, and brand store transfers to achieve annual turn goals.
Partner with Distribution to allocate large-cube, clearance, and slow-moving products to Outlet Stores, supporting model-stock density and DC capacity needs.
Review brand inventory positions and facilitate transfers from brand 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 conditioning 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.
Provide actionable reporting on store and DC inventory, pending transfers, seasonal ownership, allocation tracking, and category performance.
Use reporting and planning tools to inform forecasts and apply a data-to-insight-to-action approach to analysis.
Use historical data to identify learnings about products, pricing, and inventory and apply them to future seasons.
Improve monthly shopping and planning processes across cross-functional teams.
Collaborate across Outlet Buying, Planning, and Distribution, sharing information and aligning priorities with colleagues and field partners.
Communicate proactively and clearly with stores, DC/Supply Chain, Transportation, and brand partners, flagging risks and opportunities.
Contribute to a people-first, entrepreneurial, accountable culture that recognizes success.
Support new-hire onboarding and train and mentor assistant planners.
Travel within the country occasionally.