Manager, Inventory Planning and Replenishment

Genuine Parts Company•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Manager, Inventory Planning & Replenishment (IPR) leads a team of analysts and senior analysts and drives inventory performance across assigned categories, business units, suppliers, or strategic initiatives. The role is accountable for inventory productivity, customer service, and operational performance through effective planning, replenishment, and inventory optimization. It connects organizational strategy with daily execution, ensuring inventory decisions support sales growth, customer availability, working capital productivity, and profitability. The position calls for leadership, analytical expertise, business acumen, and cross-functional influence. The manager develops team capabilities and accountability, owns inventory performance, translates organizational objectives into inventory strategies, and leads decisions on inventory investment, replenishment, and service-level tradeoffs. The role partners with cross-functional stakeholders, maintains effective planning processes and controls, and uses accurate reporting and analysis to guide decisions. It also leads process improvements and supports the adoption of planning technologies, optimization tools, and system enhancements.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations, Economics, Finance, Analytics, Mathematics, or a related field.
6–10 years of experience in inventory planning, replenishment, supply chain, merchandising, retail operations, analytics, or related disciplines.
At least 2 years of leadership experience or demonstrated leadership of projects and teams.
Strong understanding of inventory management and replenishment principles.
Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills.
Strong communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
Experience leading cross-functional initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Experience in retail, automotive aftermarket, distribution, or multi-echelon supply chain environments.
Experience managing inventory planning or replenishment teams.
Experience with inventory optimization, forecasting, and planning systems.
Experience supporting organizational transformation initiatives.
Advanced proficiency with analytical and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

Lead, coach, and develop IPR Analysts and Senior IPR Analysts; set performance expectations and accountability measures.
Conduct performance management, career development, and succession planning; develop team technical, analytical, and leadership capabilities and build future leadership pipelines.
Foster ownership, continuous improvement, collaboration, and customer focus.
Own inventory performance across assigned business areas, categories, suppliers, or distribution networks.
Improve fill rate, in-stock percentage, inventory turns, service levels, and inventory productivity; monitor trends and address emerging risks.
Align inventory investment with customer demand and business objectives while balancing service, inventory, operational constraints, and financial outcomes.
Translate organizational objectives into inventory planning strategies and execution plans; evaluate risks and opportunities and lead decisions about investment, replenishment strategies, and service-level tradeoffs.
Develop recommendations for long-term inventory health and business growth, aligned with enterprise priorities.
Partner with Merchandising, Supply Chain, Distribution Center Operations, Store Operations, Finance, and Supplier Management.
Influence business decisions with data and expertise; lead discussions on inventory performance, opportunities, and corrective actions; align stakeholders with competing priorities.
Represent the IPR organization in strategic business initiatives.
Ensure consistent execution of inventory planning and replenishment processes; establish operational controls, identify process gaps, and implement corrective actions.
Drive standardization and best practices, monitor KPI performance, and ensure accountability for results.
Guide the team in developing actionable insights from inventory and operational data; ensure accurate reporting and performance measurement.
Use analytics and data to support decisions, identify opportunities and risks, and promote fact-based decision-making.
Lead process improvement initiatives that improve inventory productivity and organizational effectiveness.
Support implementation of planning technologies, optimization tools, and system enhancements; drive adoption of new capabilities and ways of working.
Quantify business impacts of improvement initiatives and champion innovation and modernization within the IPR organization.