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The Director, Inventory Management leads, develops, and directs all aspects of inventory strategy and execution at Meijer. This role leads the cross-functional partnership across the company (merchandising, planning, supply chain, operations, IT) to optimize inventory levels across all nodes of the supply chain, enabling financial results, and deliver a best-in-class customer experience in regard to in stock and on shelf availability. The Director provides strategic and tactical leadership to a team of inventory professionals, ensuring alignment with company goals and initiatives.
Position follows hybrid schedule: Monday-Wednesday in Grand Rapids MI corporate office, Thursday-Friday remote.
What You'll Be Doing
- Drive the strategic direction of inventory management, ensuring alignment with company goals.
- Collaborate with Planning, Merchandising, Supply Chain, Operations, and IT leaders to develop and execute inventory strategies that deliver financial objectives and maximize ROI.
- Influence and partner with others outside of the organization to advance inventory practices and support future growth.
- Provide leadership, coaching, and development to large teams (Inventory Managers and Business Analysts) as well as partner with cross-functional teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and ownership.
- Responsible for key human resource functions for the total team including: staffing, performance evaluations, identifying developmental opportunities, salary administration, succession planning, and adherence to company policy.
- Model and enforce fact-based analysis to drive inventory decisions across the team.
- Design, implement, and coach inventory strategies and standardized processes to support the balance of new, carryover, and discontinued merchandise, driving key KPIs (sales, margin, in-stock, on-shelf availability, turn, DMROI, backroom inventory).
- Lead inventory review meetings, highlighting the current state of the business and opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Drive accountability within the team to seek out in-season opportunities to maximize sales, margin, inventory turn, in-stocks/OSA, and DMROI.
- Approve product flow strategies for both domestic and import programs to deliver optimum profit while ensuring alignment with overall Meijer supply chain strategies.
- Collaborate with merchandising leadership (GVP/VP/Director) to manage and develop relationships with key vendors, defining strategies and reinforcing corporate guidelines that drive profitability and manage inventory investment.
- Ensure timely and accurate communication with internal stakeholders and external partners to resolve day-to-day inventory and allocation issues.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to review, update, and continuously improve our inventory tools, processes, and technology.
- Provide regular executive reporting and analysis on inventory levels, allocation performance, and supply chain efficiency to senior management.
- Accountable for managing resolution of key issues affecting internal and external customers, including product flow, supply chain strategies, over-stocks/out of stocks.
- Demonstrate flexibility, resiliency, and curiosity in a dynamic business environment.
- Recommend and lead positive change throughout the organization.
What You Bring with You (Qualifications)
- Bachelor’s degree; 10+ years of experience in inventory management, planning, or replenishment, with increasing responsibility and proven leadership.
- Strategic agility with the ability to see ahead clearly and anticipate future consequences and trends accurately.
- Superior analytical, negotiation, and strategic planning skills.
- Excellent communication skills, with strong critical thinking and attention to detail.
- Knowledge of the retail industry, with specific understanding of supply chain/inventory/technology trends.
- Results-focused, using performance targets and goals to drive self and team success.
- Experience leading and building effective teams, with proven ability to build relationships, lead and influence across other organizations of the company.
- Office computer skills with the ability to learn company systems and tools.