Lead Operations Analyst - Store Operations

Target • Minneapolis, MN

5d • $95,000 - $171,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead Operations Analyst plays a critical role in supporting in-stock performance across Target stores by ensuring inventory issues impacting the field are addressed with urgency, accuracy, and a guest-first mindset. This role serves as a central point of coordination for escalations from field leadership, partnering across Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Merchandising, Technology, and other cross-functional teams to identify root causes, drive resolution, and improve processes that strengthen operational performance and inventory accuracy. The role also involves developing a strategic approach to enable a high-performing organization through increased operational efficiency, budget and resource management, and continuous learning efforts. Key responsibilities include defining improvement opportunities, prioritizing long-term goals, and implementing success metrics.

Requirements

• Four-year degree or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of experience in an operations, inventory management, planning, or related analytical role.
• Demonstrated ability to achieve continuous improvements by introducing methods and processes, challenging current processes to drive business objectives
• Strong business acumen and technical knowledge within area of responsibility
• Strong analytical, problem solving, facilitation and project management skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office skills (Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), statistical analysis, and financial modeling.
• Knowledge and experience of Lean and Agile methodologies
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting inventory planning, inventory management, or store operations is a plus.
• Helpful to have and understanding of SAP and Domo

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of coordination for store inventory-related escalations from field leadership, ensuring timely, accurate, and guest-focused resolution.
• Monitor and manage store stock level issues by partnering across Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Merchandising, Technology, and other cross-functional teams to identify root causes and drive resolution.
• Prioritize and manage multiple inventory-related issues simultaneously, balancing business impact, urgency, and operational risk.
• Analyze trends in store inventory performance and field escalations to identify recurring opportunities for process improvements and operational efficiencies.
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships to influence outcomes, remove barriers, and improve the overall health and accuracy of store inventory.
• Communicate issue status, key insights, and resolution plans to field and headquarters partners, ensuring transparency and alignment throughout the resolution process.
• Work with teams to define metrics and measurements to help communicate progress on goals and objectives.
• Benchmark across the industry and leverage research/intelligence to build strategies for tracking and measuring progress.
• Identify and assess roadblocks and impediments to develop insights and generate recommendations to improve effective team delivery.
• Build a strong solution differentiator by integrating key elements of Process, Technology and Analytics.
• Leverage best practices to ensure continuous process improvements are institutionalized throughout the business.
• Provide process consultancy & monitor process compliance. Implement appropriate mechanisms to identify, understand and escalate performance gaps and/or performance breakthroughs.
• Analyze and report portfolio metrics. Improve financial status by analyzing/monitoring variances, identifying trends, and recommending actions to leaders.
• Drive initiatives/programs across the cross-functional cross-geography teams. Utilize facilitation to enable teams to develop skills to embrace change, work through change quickly and develop communication routines.
• Organize and facilitate portfolio level meetings/demos/business reviews.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more
• 401(k)
• Employee discount
• Short term disability
• Long term disability
• Paid sick leave
• Paid national holidays
• Paid vacation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree