Manager, Planning & Allocation

Manager, Planning and Allocation (L3)

Wayfair + SRB Physical Retail 

Based in Boston, MA

Wayfair’s Physical Retail team is seeking a Manager of Planning and Allocation to support the Physical Retail P&A team in the analysis of the business, the allocation of inventory to our stores, and to assist and influence the preparation of merchandise plans to drive Wayfair’s physical retail agenda.  The Manager will be a part of the Physical Retail Team for Wayfair and Specialty Retail Branded stores and will help craft and execute strategies that drive in-season and pre-season as we run existing stores and scale to open new stores.  We believe there is a white space in the brick-and-mortar market and an opportunity to create a differentiated retail experience that showcases the breadth and depth of our catalog across Wayfair and our Specialty Branded stores. The Planning and Allocation Manager will bring our in-store experience to life through financial strategies, cross-functional collaboration and in-season execution.

We are seeking a motivated individual who can collaborate effectively to drive strong sales productivity and profitability, and ensure customer satisfaction, in our physical retail business. The Manager will work closely with the Sr. Managers of Planning and Allocation for the Specialty Retail Branded Stores, the Associate Director Planning and Allocation as well as the merchant teams for both Speciality Retail Brands and Wayfair to ensure in-store inventory availability and the achievement of sales and inventory turn goals.  They will be responsible for helping strategize pre-season plans at item and class level as well as the execution of the in-season sales and inventory plans.  They will collaborate closely with  cross-functional partners (e.g., Merchandising, Visual Merchandising, Marketing, Partner Operations, Sales Forecasting,  Supply Chain and Store Operations).  

This role is based in Boston and reports to the Associate Director of Planning + Allocation with significant cross-functional responsibility, as well as responsibility to contribute in building a best-in-class process, reporting and tools. In the first year as the business develops the Manager will be hands-on own Allocation analysis and execution.   As the physical retail portfolio grows, the Manager should expect to have an analyst/ allocator to manage after the launch of the first 5- 10 stores. 

Responsibilities:

• Own the in-store sales performance of your categories (sales and inventory) and execute the  inventory needs necessary to achieve plans.
• Clearly and concisely communicate business performance to business leads and cross functional partners. 
• Develop allocation processes across the product life-cycle that ladder up to retail merchandise sales and inventory plans. 
• Pre-season: collaborate with Senior Manager, Visual Team and Merchants in developing tailored product assortment inventory needs that support sales trends and customer preference in each store including: assortment frameworks, SKU productivity, item leveling, flow plans and ideal depth. 
• In Season: support milestone meetings by providing assessments to sales that result in actions to support the business: Weekly business meetings, Monthly OTB, Qtrly Hindsight and Annual plan build. 
• Manage Allocation to bring selection to life in the store driving amazing customer experience.
• Partner closely with Forecasting, Partner Operations and Supply Chain to understand process and to identify risks/ opportunities to ensure inventory needs are met
• Identify where new process improvements may be needed. 
• Leverage quantitative and qualitative data, along with test-and-learn methodology, to continue to improve performance.
• Adjust allocation strategies in-season where needed and provide appropriate and timely direction in order to react to customer and business needs
• Partner with the Promotional team to proactively manage the inventory needs to maximize sales and inventory in tandem with promotions. 

Requirements:

• Significant Physical Retail Planning + allocation experience required, with preferred experience in Home or adjacent categories (e.g., general merchandise)
• Ability to create and implement planning + allocation strategies across a multi-store and multi-brand platform.
• 6+ years in retail management with breadth of product experience.
• Ability to implement strategic plans and drive results with direct team and cross-functional partners.
• Ability to identify, introduce and implement new process improvements. 
• Ability to leverage data (quantitative and qualitative) to drive strategic decision-making and tight execution
• Able to collaborate across all leve