Sr. Manager, Planning and Allocation

AEG Vision•Dallas, TX

About The Position

Reporting to the Senior Director of Planning and Allocation, this role contributes to AEG Vision’s success with direct responsibility for demand forecasting, location planning, and sales and inventory analysis for the frame category. The manager will also be responsible for creating and implementing allocation strategies to optimize inventory placement, ROS, sales, and patient experience. Additionally, the manager will be responsible for managing business trends to identify sales and gross margin performance and capitalize on profit-driving opportunities through close collaboration with the buying team and cross-functional partners. The ideal candidate will be comfortable with ambiguity, have strong attention to detail, able to see the big picture and conduct deep dive to propose actionable solutions independently.

Requirements

College Degree is preferred and/or a strong track record of achievement in product merchandising over a period of 5 or more years of relevant experience in demand planning, forecasting, and inventory management
Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines
Has a track record of being analytical, technical and system savvy
Strong Excel, data repository and POS skills
Must have a demonstrated awareness and track record of understanding how merchandising, product assortments and field management all work together cohesively
Ability to identify, introduce and implement new process improvements
Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence

Nice To Haves

Optical retail experience preferred but not required

Responsibilities

Own and lead the sales demand forecast process, ensuring data is provided to DC and vendor partners on time with a high level of accuracy
Be the SME of the assigned collections and adjust the forecast tool accordingly to ensure it reflects the latest assortment changes
Optimize the existing process and tools to support business needs and improve the process efficiency
Partner closely with buyers and DC to reduce backorder issues and improve the in-stock rate
Create and implement inventory allocation strategies to maximize sales, inventory placement, turns, and customer experience
Accountable for ensuring practices are at optimal inventory levels to support practices to achieve sales goals
Identify the potential inventory risks and take proactive actions to prevent inventory shortages
Leverage the merchandising system to optimize the inventory level at practices
Partner with the inventory control team to improve the accuracy of the inventory data
Be a strong advocate for allocation in cross-functional meetings to represent the team's POV
Manage key sales and inventory reports to provide team clear visibility of sales trends and practice inventory level
Provide ad hoc reporting and useful insights to Buyers to maximize company profit potential
Works with buying team on reporting needs for vendor meetings and trade shows
Manage obsolescence product “targets” and is responsible for recommending markdowns and write-offs while being mindful of gross margin impact and inventory reserve limitations
Clearly and concisely communicate business performance to business leads and cross-functional partners
Partner with the IT team closely and develop additional tools as needed to streamline the process.
Effectively manage and support the career development of direct reports to ensure job satisfaction and retention
Accesses and leverages direct reports' strengths and addresses developmental needs
Provide timely and constructive feedback to direct reports, fostering skill development and improving performance