At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and creating safe, inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome—both here and Outside. We value individual differences and are dedicated to maintaining an inclusive work environment where everyone can bring the best of their experience and talents and truly thrive.
L.L.Bean is looking for a Retail Inventory Manager II to join our team.
We welcome the opportunity for this role to be hybrid based at the corporate headquarters in Freeport, Maine.
Position Purpose
The Retail Inventory Manager II plays a critical role in shaping inventory strategies that drive sales, margin, inventory productivity and operational excellence across the retail stores for all categories. This position requires a passion for the retail business, a strategic mindset to influence decisions across departments, and the ability to act decisively in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. As a trusted thought partner, this role combines analytics with strong communication and structuring skills to deliver results and help define the future vision for inventory management for stores. In addition, this position has a meaningful role within the retail leadership team as a key contributor to retail growth initiatives including a rollout of significantly more new stores each year in support of Vision 2030. Success requires the stamina and strength to keep pace with the speed of expansion and the tactical execution that underpins it.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Inventory Management
Lead inventory planning for retail stores across categories, ensuring alignment with company goals for sales, margin, and inventory.
Partner with planning, forecasting, merchandising and buying teams to drive inventory needs for retail stores and influence product lifecycle decisions like markdowns and transfers.
Own in season store allocation processes including fit-up for new store openings, leveraging advanced tools and analytics.
Cross-Functional Leadership
Collaborate with Merchandising, Store Operations, and Supply Chain teams to optimize inventory flow and meet service-level targets.
Influence decision-making across multiple stakeholders and drive alignment on inventory strategies balancing top line growth initiatives with inventory productivity goals.
Team Development
Manage and mentor a team of planners and allocators, providing coaching and career development.
Support succession planning and foster a culture of empowerment, accountability, data driven decisions and continuous improvement.
Performance Optimization
Monitor KPIs such as in-stock/service level rates, sell-through, and profitability; adjust strategies based on insights.
Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or related field.
6+ years of experience in inventory management or retail planning, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
Strong analytical, communication, and influencing skills.
Proficiency in advanced inventory management tools and systems.
Passion for the retail business and customer experience.
Skilled at driving collaboration and gaining buy-in from senior leaders, peers, and cross-functional teams.
Thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment; demonstrates agility and makes confident, timely decisions amid ambiguity.
Health and Safety Requirement: Every employee is responsible for contributing to a safe and healthy workplace. Employees are expected to be active participants in health and safety by following all safety policies and procedures, reporting unsafe conditions or at-risk behaviors to leadership, and conducting work in a safe manner. Those in a leadership role are also expected to model safe behaviors, evaluate risk, and ensure that risks are reduced to acceptable levels.
Skills and Qualifications:
3-5 years of experience as a people leader required
Excellent interpersonal skills
Strong influencing skills
Strong oral and written communication skills
Strong negotiation skills
Strong analytical thinker
Strong PC and systems aptitude
Strong attention to detail
Strong leadership skills
Strategic thinker
Familiarity with financial performance reporting and cost benefit analysis
Ability to develop and review comprehensive buy strategies
Creative problem solving skills/abilities
Self motivated
If you care about the outdoors, joining L.L.Bean is a great way to feel good about what you do. Our benefits package makes a good thing even better, with programs and perks designed to support your health and financial goals. Plus, maintaining a healthy work-life balance and re-charging outside are all part of the plan.
If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you'd be great at this role, we'd love to learn more about you! At L.L.Bean, we believe the outdoors brings out the best in all of us. We strive to reflect this every day in our commitments to employees and partners and in our efforts to promote belonging.