Your Role:

The Senior Vice President of Merchandise Planning & Inventory Management will lead the strategic development and execution of all merchandise planning and inventory management functions across Direct-To-Consumer , wholesale, and emerging owned-retail channels. This role requires a strong background in branded apparel and/or footwear, with deep expertise in supply chain management, demand planning, inventory optimization, and multi-channel distribution. The SVP will oversee end-to-end planning processes and will collaborate closely with finance, merchandising, product development, wholesale sales and marketing teams to ensure seamless operations and the efficient flow of goods from suppliers to end consumers.

This is a high-impact role with the opportunity to shape the direction of our planning and inventory strategy to support significant business growth across multiple channels. You will report to the Chief Financial Officer, with dotted line reporting to the Chief Merchandising Officer (currently the CEO/Founder).

How You’ll Do It:

• Leadership & Strategy:
  Provide strategic leadership and vision for the Company’s merchandise planning and inventory management. Develop and execute robust, data-driven inventory strategies across DTC, wholesale and owned-retail channels to drive profitability and operational efficiency.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  Partner with the Wholesale Sales, Operations, Marketing, and Finance teams to ensure alignment between inventory levels, sales projections, and promotional activities. Collaborate on product lifecycle management, product transitions, and end-of-life strategies.
• Team Leadership:
  Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of merchandise planning and inventory professionals. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

What You Will Do:

• Demand Planning & Forecasting:
  Oversee and optimize the demand planning process, utilizing advanced analytics and forecasting tools to ensure accurate inventory levels and minimize stockouts or excess inventory. You will manage a team of experienced planning professionals and guide associates throughout the organization in achieving these goals. Given the dynamic nature of our business, you will need to account for seasonality and promotional cycles to ensure that demand is accurately predicted throughout the year. Align forecasts with customer demand trends, promotional calendars, product launches, and seasonal shifts. Leverage historical data, market insights, predictive models, internal and external trends to adjust forecasts for both evergreen and time-sensitive items, while balancing the unique challenges of each product category.
• Supply Chain: Work closely with the operations and supply chain team and directly with suppliers and logistics partners to ensure timely delivery of products while minimizing costs. Identify opportunities for process improvement within the supply chain to enhance speed and efficiency.
• New Product Introductions and Limited Edition Releases: Analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and sales data to forecast demand and inform purchasing strategies.Special attention will be needed for limited-edition products and seasonal offerings, requiring agile forecasting models that can quickly respond to short product sales cycles, limited stock availability, and fluctuating consumer interest. Collaborate cross-functionally to refine forecasting accuracy for these types of products, ensuring timely product availability without over-committing inventory.
• Multi-Channel Integration:
  Manage and integrate planning and inventory processes across multiple sales channels (DTC, wholesale, retail). Ensure timely product availability and effective replenishment strategies tailored to the unique needs of each channel.
• Inventory Optimization:
  Lead efforts to optimize inventory turnover, reduce excess stock, and manage working capital. Develop and implement inventory control measures to improve inventory accuracy, streamline warehouse operations, and minimize costs.
• Technology & Process Improvement:
  Drive the adoption of technology and best practices to enhance forecasting, planning, and inventory management systems. Ensure the proper use of merchandise planning (demand planning, inventory management, allocation), purchasing and other systems to track performance, identify trends, and inform decision-making.

Performance Metrics & Reporting:
Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for merchandise planning and inventory management functions. Provide regular reports to executive leadership, identifying opportunities for improvement and executing corrective actions as necessary.