Inventory Planning Manager

Peterson Wholesale•Auburn, WA

1d•$85,000 - $105,000

About The Position

The Manager of Inventory Planning sits at the operational center of Peterson's inventory planning function — bridging day-to-day planning execution and the strategic direction set by the Director of Financial Planning & Analysis. This role directly manages the Inventory Planner team, translating enterprise inventory strategy, financial targets, and category priorities into structured planning workflows, performance standards, and actionable team guidance. The Manager of Inventory Planning owns team output quality, planning process integrity, and the accuracy and timeliness of inventory data that flows upward to the Director of FP&A and across to Category Management, Supplier Management, and Operations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, Finance, Operations, or a related field.
5+ years of progressive inventory planning, demand planning experience — with at least 3-5 years in a team lead, supervisor, or management capacity responsible for guiding the work of other planners or analysts.
Demonstrated expertise in inventory planning fundamentals — including demand forecasting, replenishment planning, safety stock and MSC management, inventory turns analysis, and aging and expiry risk management.
Proven ability to translate strategic direction from senior leadership into structured team workplans, planning standards, and day-to-day operational guidance for a planning team.
Strong ERP proficiency, with direct experience in NetSuite or a comparable platform (SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics) — including the ability to extract, validate, and act on system data across planning workflows.
Advanced Excel skills, with the ability to build and maintain planning models, reconciliation templates, and KPI dashboards that support both team-level execution and management-level reporting.
Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration skills — with experience representing a planning function in discussions with Category Management, Supply Chain, Operations, and Finance stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to develop and coach planning talent, with a track record of improving team performance through structured feedback, capability building, and process improvement.

Nice To Haves

Experience in specialty food distribution, food importing, or a multi-category, multi-location distribution environment — with familiarity with the supply dynamics, seasonality, and shelf-life considerations that shape inventory planning in specialty food.
Product knowledge in cheese, charcuterie, and imported specialty foods, with an understanding of how category-specific supply characteristics impact forecast accuracy and inventory investment decisions.
Experience managing MSC programs at an item or SKU level across a complex, high-SKU product portfolio.
Familiarity with demand forecasting tools and replenishment automation platforms beyond standard ERP functionality.
Exposure to import supply chains and the planning implications of extended international lead times, port variability, and in-transit inventory management.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop the Inventory Planner team, providing clear direction, structured performance feedback, and meaningful development opportunities that build each planner's technical capability and cross-functional effectiveness.
Translate the Director of FP&A's inventory strategy, financial targets, and planning priorities into clear, well-structured team workplans — ensuring each Inventory Planner understands their category scope, KPI targets, and the standards expected of their work.
Develop the team's core capabilities in the skills essential to their success — including demand forecasting, inventory analytics, ERP proficiency, MSC tracking discipline, and cross-functional communication — through hands-on coaching and structured training.
Conduct regular one-on-ones, team huddles, and planning reviews with Inventory Planners, maintaining visibility into workload, performance, risks, and escalation needs across all assigned categories and locations.
Foster a high-performance, data-driven planning culture within the team — grounded in accuracy, accountability, proactive communication, and continuous improvement.
Support recruitment, onboarding, and retention of Inventory Planner talent, ensuring new team members are set up with the tools, access, and process knowledge needed to contribute quickly and effectively.
Oversee the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of all inventory planning outputs produced by the team — including sales and inventory forecasts, replenishment plans, MSC trackers, and aging and expiry reports — reviewing work before it is escalated to the Director of FP&A or shared cross-functionally.
Own the MSC (Minimum Stock Coverage) tracking program across the team, ensuring planners maintain accurate, item-level MSC records, monitor threshold breaches proactively, and escalate risks to the appropriate stakeholders within defined timeframes.
Establish and enforce planning standards, templates, and cadences across the team — including forecast review cycles, replenishment schedules, and inventory health check-ins — ensuring consistency and comparability across categories and locations.
Monitor team-level inventory KPIs — including turns, fill rate, weeks of supply, forecast accuracy, and expired inventory percentage — identifying patterns, coaching planners on root cause analysis, and driving corrective actions where performance is trending below target.
Serve as the first escalation point for Inventory Planners on complex planning challenges, supply disruptions, demand anomalies, or cross-functional issues that require management-level resolution or escalation to the Director of FP&A.
Partner with the Director of FP&A to translate enterprise inventory strategy — including category investment priorities, working capital targets, service level commitments, and seasonal planning requirements — into structured planning guidance for the Inventory Planner team.
Manage inventory flow planning across the team's assigned categories and locations, ensuring product availability is maintained across NJ and WA sites while inventory investment is aligned with financial targets and demand signals.
Lead the team's contribution to new product launch planning, promotional inventory builds, and seasonal demand preparation — coordinating with Category Management and Supplier Management to ensure timing, quantities, and site allocations are planned accurately and communicated in advance.
Oversee the team's management of aging, slow-moving, and approaching-expiry inventory — ensuring risks are identified early, disposition recommendations are developed promptly, and the Director of FP&A is kept informed of material exposure.
Drive continuous improvement in forecast accuracy across the team's category portfolio, identifying systemic drivers of forecast error and working with planners and cross-functional partners to address root causes.
Consolidate and review inventory performance reporting across the Inventory Planner team before submission to the Director of FP&A — ensuring reports are accurate, complete, and accompanied by clear variance commentary and recommended actions.
Prepare management-level inventory performance summaries for the Director of FP&A, covering team KPI performance, key risks, escalating inventory issues, and planning process health across assigned categories and locations.
Conduct regular inventory health reviews across the team's portfolio, identifying cross-category trends, systemic planning issues, and emerging risks that require strategic input from the Director of FP&A or action from cross-functional partners.
Own the team's contribution to monthly, quarterly, and annual budget and forecasting processes — coordinating Inventory Planner inputs, reviewing for accuracy and consistency, and presenting a consolidated team view to the Director of FP&A.
Own the team's day-to-day use of the ERP and associated planning and forecasting tools — ensuring planners are proficient, data is maintained accurately, and system issues are escalated promptly to IT or the Director of FP&A.
Identify and lead process improvement initiatives within the inventory planning function — including enhancements to forecasting workflows, MSC tracking, replenishment automation, and reporting templates — that improve team efficiency, data quality, and planning accuracy.
Develop, document, and maintain standard operating procedures for all core inventory planning processes, ensuring consistency across the team and supporting the onboarding of new planners.
Partner with the Director of FP&A on planning system enhancement projects — providing a team-level user perspective on functionality gaps, workflow pain points, and improvement priorities that should be factored into system development roadmaps.
Serve as the primary inventory planning management contact for Category Management, Supplier Management, and Operations teams — representing the planning team in cross-functional meetings, project discussions, and operational reviews.
Partner with Category Managers on assortment decisions, new product launches, and product rationalizations — ensuring inventory planning implications are communicated clearly and that the team's planning capacity and timelines are factored into product development and category strategy decisions.
Collaborate with the Sr. Director of Supply Chain & Food Safety and Supplier Managers on inbound supply timing, supplier OTIF performance, and import shipment visibility — ensuring planning team forecasts and replenishment decisions are informed by current supply reality rather than system assumptions.
Partner with the Operations General Managers at NJ and WA to align inventory planning with site-level receiving capacity, space constraints, and fulfillment priorities — ensuring planning decisions are operationally executable at both locations.
Coordinate with the Finance and Accounting teams on inventory valuation accuracy, month-end close support, and working capital reporting — ensuring the planning team's data and records align with the financial ledger.