Director of Planning

Pepper

Inventory planning lead for a DTC intimate apparel brand empowering women. Responsible for end-to-end inventory strategies and sales forecasting to support profitable growth.

Posted 6/12/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $150,000 - $180,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the company inventory sales plan forecast across seasonal launches, replenishment businesses, and new category expansion
Build and manage bottom-up forecasts at the SKU, color, and size level using historical performance, customer behavior, trend analysis, and business inputs
Develop forecasting methodologies that account for lifecycle dynamics including launch ramps, replenishment curves, cannibalization, and demand decay
Partner with Marketing and Merchandising to incorporate promotional activity, product launches, and customer acquisition trends into forecasts
Lead forecast reviews and continuously improve forecast accuracy across channels and categories
Translate strategic sales forecasts into inventory buy plans and vendor production plans that optimize in-stock rates, inventory productivity, freight optimization, warehouse storage, and cash flow
Own inventory targets including weeks of supply, safety stock, reorder points, and inventory health metrics
Balance forecasted inventory needs by category against operational constraints including production capacity, lead times, MOQ requirements, vendor capabilities, and raw material availability
Partner with sourcing and production teams to ensure timely replenishment and successful execution of product launches
Manage inventory risk mitigation, scenario planning, and contingency planning to reduce stockouts and excess inventory
Lead the company’s Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process, aligning inventory efficiency, product sales forecasting by style, and inventory health and turn
Facilitate recurring cross-functional planning meetings and drive alignment on forecasts, risks, opportunities, and operational tradeoffs
Serve as the central point of coordination between marketing, operational, and financial teams
Own departmental planning objectives and communicate clear recommendations and perspectives during executive and cross-functional meetings
Act as a strategic thought partner to executive leadership on inventory investment, capacity planning, growth opportunities, and operational risk
Own in-stock rates and size-level availability to ensure a strong customer experience across e-commerce and marketplace channels
Optimize inventory allocation across DTC, marketplaces, Amazon, and wholesale partners based on demand signals and channel performance
Partner with Merchandising to align inventory with product lifecycle strategies including launch, growth, replenishment, and markdown optimization
Track and report on key metrics including forecast accuracy, fill rate, inventory turns, stockouts, excess inventory, and service levels
Build dashboards, reporting tools, and scalable planning processes that improve visibility and decision-making
Identify operational risks and opportunities early and recommend data-driven actions
Partner with leadership to implement and improve planning systems, forecasting tools, and operational workflows to increase efficiency and scalability

Requirements

What you’ll need

8-12+ years of inventory planning experience displaying career progression, leadership and profit optimization.
Foundation in bottoms up inventory management with both core and fashion styles managing lifecycle efficiencies across categories.
Experience with DTC or vertically designed products with end-to-end inventory planning ownership for apparel, intimates, or other size intensive consumer products preferred.
Strong understanding of apparel planning fundamentals including size curves, replenishment models, lifecycle planning, and inventory optimization
Proven experience leading end-to-end S&OP or Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes
Experience balancing commercial demand with operational and supply chain constraints
Advanced analytical and financial modeling skills; advanced proficiency in Excel and planning systems
Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration capabilities
Experience building scalable planning processes in high-growth environments preferred

Benefits

Comp & perks

Robust health benefits including 100% company covered option for medical, vision, dental insurance, and supplemental insurance options
Company matched 401K plan up to 3%
Generous paid time off program including flexible PTO days, federal holidays, and sick days
Flexible remote workplace
Paid parental leave for qualifying employees
Monthly wellness stipend
Annual company-wide offsite
Have a huge role in the growth of a company with a meaningful mission

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

inventory planningforecasting methodologiesdemand analysisfinancial modelinganalytical skillsreplenishment modelsinventory optimizationS&OPIntegrated Business PlanningExcel

Soft Skills

leadershipcommunicationcross-functional collaborationstrategic thinkingproblem-solvingdecision-makingrisk mitigationscenario planningalignment facilitationrecommendation communication