Inventory Planner - Outlet

Williams-Sonoma•The Colony, TX

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Inventory Planner, Outlet is responsible for strategic planning and management of inventory across the Outlet business, including Outlet Stores and Outlet Online, for all Williams-Sonoma, Inc. brands. As part of the Outlet Inventory team, the role owns the sales, margin, and inventory plan for the Outlet channel and manages the flow of brand overstock transfers and customer returns to deliver the right inventory to the right stores at the right time. The planner 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. The position reports to the Outlet Inventory Manager and is responsible for meeting Outlet sales, MMU, inventory, and turn goals outlined in the financial budget. The role owns monthly Open to Buy forecasting and develops pre-season, annual, and in-season plans and forecasts. It manages inventory flow, allocation, transfers, returns, online assortment strategies, promotions, markdowns, and liquidation plans. The planner provides actionable reporting and analysis, optimizes planning processes, communicates risks and opportunities, and collaborates across the Outlet team and company partners. The position includes occasional domestic travel and requires onsite work in The Colony, Texas, 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 objectively interpret data and extract actionable business insights.
Advanced Excel skills.
Understanding of supply chain and distribution processes, including inventory allocation, transfers, and returns.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills, including comfort addressing all levels of an organization.
Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize workload and meet deadlines.
Flexibility and adaptability when priorities change, with the ability to work in a fast-paced, 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 with stores and e-commerce.
Experience with reporting and business intelligence tools such as Qlik, and MRP/ERP systems.
Experience leading others in a project setting, mentoring, and complex problem solving.

Responsibilities

Own monthly Open to Buy forecasts of Outlet sales, MMU, receipts, and end-of-period inventory by brand and channel; recommend near-term actions to meet sales goals and budgeted inventory levels.
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.
Perform 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 product to Outlet Stores, support model-stock density, and alleviate DC capacity constraints.
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 conditioning categorizations.
Recommend targeted promotions and progressive markdown cadence 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 repositioning.
Deliver reporting on store and DC inventory positions, pending transfers, seasonal ownership, allocation tracking, and category performance.
Use reporting and planning tools to inform inventory 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.
Optimize monthly shopping and planning processes across cross-functional teams.
Communicate proactively and clearly with stores, DC/Supply Chain, Transportation, and brand partners, highlighting risks and opportunities.
Collaborate across Buying, Planning, and Distribution and contribute to a people-first, entrepreneurial, accountable culture.
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, dental and vision insurance, including 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.
Resources for self-development.
Advisor (Mentor) program.
Career development workshops, learning programs, and speaker series.