Inventory Planner

New Balance; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary Bonus Opportunity

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Scheme

Pension Scheme

Flexible Working Hours

Hybrid working (3 days on-site)

25 days Annual Leave per year

Life Insurance

Employee Discount

Work from anywhere 20 days per year

Job summary

New Balance is seeking an EMEA Inventory Planner to manage finished goods stock, translate forecasts into orders, and optimize inventory across channels. The role emphasizes cross-functional collaboration with Sales, Merchandising and Finance, with a focus on on-time delivery and efficient stock turns.

The ideal candidate will have inventory planning experience, strong analytics, and familiarity with D365, o9 or Spotfire. Hybrid working and flexible hours support work-life balance.

Qualifications

• Experience in inventory planning and lifecycle management.
• Strong numerical and data interpretation skills.
• Knowledge of demand planning and forecasting processes.
• Proven ability to work with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Plan and manage Finished Goods stock for footwear, apparel, accessories and equipment.
• Translate forecasts into purchase requisitions and manage MTS/MTO items.
• Collaborate with Sales, Merchandising & Finance to optimise stock and fulfill orders.
• Lead end-to-end inventory flow and drive on-time delivery for programs.
• Support life cycle management: BOL, MOL, EOL strategies.
• Participate in monthly S&OP and manage supply constraints proactively.

Skills

Inventory Planning

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Office

Forecasting

Education

APICS Certification

Tools

Microsoft D365

o9

Spotfire

Job description

Who We Are:

Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.

Who We Are:

Since 1906, New Balance has empowered people through sport and craftsmanship to create positive change in communities around the world. We innovate fearlessly, guided by our core values and driven by the belief that conventions were meant to be challenged. We foster a culture in which every associate feels welcomed and respected, where leaders and creatives are inspired to shape the world of tomorrow by taking bold action today.

JOB MISSION:

The EMEA Inventory Planner plays a central and critical role in delivering EMEA business results. They plan and manage the purchasing and reservation of Finished Goods stock for the assigned product area. This team is responsible for the end-to-end flow of inventory in and out of the Region. Inventory Planning is responsible for the translation of forecast and demand requirements into purchase orders, resulting in optimised order book fulfillment to service all New Balance channels of business.

The ideal candidate will develop strong relationships with various teams across the business, demonstrating our key values; integrity, team-work and total customer satisfaction. Confidence in influencing others will be key to this role, with cross functional collaboration essential.

We offer hybrid working and flexibility in working hours to accommodate for a healthy work life balance.

MAJOR ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Inventory Management

• Finished Goods Purchasing for Footwear, Apparel, Accessories and Equipment.
• Translate market forecast and demands into Purchase Requisitions.
• Manage Make to Stock (MTS) and Make to Order (MTO) items via Purchase Requisitions review and approval process.
• Manage and Approve Direct & Cross-dock requirements.
• Execute the planning and on-time delivery of Strategic and Allocated Programs.
• Manage inventory levels by channel, product line & line plan business.
• Using insight from sales planning, S&OP meetings and available reporting, dynamically manage on hand and incoming inventory.
• Interface with Sales, Merchandising & Finance to drive sell-thru before End of Life where inventory opportunity has been identified.
• Item Life Cycle Management: Beginning of Life (BOL), Middle of Life (MOL) and End of Life (EOL) strategy execution.
• Review and manage life cycle behavior to ensure that item transitions are driven effectively.
• Collaborate with Global Supply Planning across all Source Types to ensure Key Launch strategies are supported.
• Analyse size curve recommendations and propose adjustments to optimise demand fulfillment and best utilisation of finished goods inventory.
• Partner with collaborators across different departments to implement reservation & prioritisation business rule logic.
• Implement best in class operating models and business practices to maximise inventory turns, on-time order fulfillment and minimise EOL inventory obsolescence (Ie. Booking Program Logic, Inventory Pool Optimisation, Inventory Shareability across markets & channels, Go-to-Market Execution).

Demand fulfillment

• Complete and on time order fulfillment.
• Effective participant in Operations meetings.
• Proactive management of inventory availability and timely delivery of orders.
• Analyse Inventory dashboards & reporting to take appropriate action.
• Complete Finished Goods Buy Summary.
• Improve order fulfillment for various strategic and priority items to ensure timely market launches and replenishment.
• Maintain Demand Prioritisation Rules to executive business strategies and optimise order fulfillment of priority accounts.
• Facilitate the resolution of supply related sales order management issues in collaboration with Customer Operations.
• Participate in monthly S&OP process – ie, New Product Review, Demand Consensus, Global Supply Review.
• Recommend expediting Finished Goods via various ship modes in partnership with Value Chain, Logistics, Customer Operations, etc. Ie. Air Freight, Inventory Transfers, etc.
• Proactive and timely communication regarding supply constraints and order book fulfillment.

REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCCESS:

• Relevant years of experience within Inventory Planning.
• Must have knowledge of Inventory Planning, sales process, demand planning, and managing the product life cycle.
• Strong numeric competence, written and verbal communication skills.
• Robust interpersonal skills with an emphasis on problem solving, conflicting objectives, and looking after multiple customers and various priorities.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing priorities and manage time, multiple tasks, and deadlines effectively.
• Continuous improvement attitude to facilitate the recommendation of business process and system functionality enhancements within evolving business model.
• Occasional travel across the region may be required.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office: Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, etc.
• Experience with Microsoft D365, o9 and/or Spotfire, a plus.
• APICS Certification, a plus.

BENEFITS:

• Discretionary Bonus Opportunity
• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Scheme
• Pension Scheme
• Flexible Working Hours
• Hybrid working (3 days on-site)
• 25 days Annual Leave per year
• Life Insurance
• Employee Discount
• Flexibility to work 20 days from anywhere each year
• Wellbeing and Mental Health Benefit (24/7 Employment Assistance Program & Support)

Equal Opportunity Employer:

New Balance is committed to equality of opportunity for all current and prospective associates regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership and gender reassignment. We are an equal opportunity employer and support a culture of diversity and inclusion.

If you have not already done so, please let us know if you require any support so we can make the right adjustments and considerations should they be required.