Inventory Planning Lead

Sazerac; Louisville (KY); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 123,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Competitive benefits

Job summary

The Sazerac Inventory Planning Lead will guide the end-to-end fulfillment across distributor and Sazerac warehouses, partnering with Demand, Production, Logistics, and Commercial to balance supply with customer needs and lower landed costs.

You will coach the team, standardize processes, and drive optimization of forecasting, replenishment, fulfillment, and service levels while building scalable methods that sustain growth and improve profitability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Proven people leadership and development skills.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and continuous improvement mindset.
• Strong analytical, technical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Ability to communicate and influence at all levels.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects.
• Ability to perform under pressure and drive process improvement.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Strong attention to detail and execution.
• High level of ownership and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Inventory Planning team across warehouses and facilities.
• Balance inventory levels, in-stock performance, and lead times.
• Drive continuous improvement of VMI, forecasting, replenishment, and ways of working.
• Ensure proactive customer communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• Design scalable processes to improve efficiency and execution.

Skills

People leadership

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical skills

Excel proficiency

Planning & organizational skills

Communication & influence

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Ownership

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

Sazerac Company Overview

Build your career at Sazerac! With almost 400 years of rich history, Sazerac Company has thrived as an independent, American family‑owned company with operations in the United States and around the world. Since the 2000s, Sazerac has averaged double digit growth every year! Sazerac Company produces and markets the most award‑winning bourbons and whiskeys in the world, including Buffalo Trace, Pappy Van Winkle, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Traveller, and Sazerac Rye. Additionally, Sazerac owns many popular brands across a range of spirits, including Fireball, Svedka, Wheatley, BuzzBallz, Southern Comfort, Seagram’s V.O., Myers’s, Goldschläger, Parrot Bay, 99 Brand, and Platinum Vodka.

We’re proud of our award‑winning culture and distilleries. Our Louisville office has been named one of the “Best Places to Work in Kentucky” four times, and our Buffalo Trace Distillery has earned the title of “world’s most award‑winning distillery” through the dedication of our craftsmen for well over 200 years. Whether you’re a recent graduate or an experienced professional, Sazerac provides extraordinary opportunities for growth with competitive salaries and benefits in an exciting, entrepreneurial industry.

Job Description/Responsibilities

The Inventory Planning Lead will lead and develop the Inventory Planning team in managing the end‑to‑end fulfillment process across control state/customer warehouses and Sazerac‑owned facilities, delivering world‑class customer service at the lowest landed cost. This role will build strong partnerships across the organization and with our customers while driving continuous improvement throughout the supply chain to improve downstream product availability, optimized finished goods inventory, reduced out‑of‑stocks, and increase profitability.

The Inventory Planning Lead will foster a culture of accountability, development, and continuous learning by coaching team members, expanding capabilities, and creating opportunities for growth. The role will identify and help eliminate non‑value‑added work through process standardization, automation, and improved ways of working, allowing the team to focus on higher‑value planning and execution. Additionally, the Inventory Planning Lead will help evolve and scale the Inventory Planning program by identifying new capabilities, expanding best practices, and developing sustainable processes that support continued business growth.

• Develop and elevate team performance through consistent coaching, feedback, and development discussions with direct reports. Leverage My Development to assess skills, establish clear development priorities, define actionable growth plans, and measure progress. Champion the adoption of My Development while reinforcing Sazerac’s culture and expectations across the Supply Chain organization.

• Optimize inventory across distributor and Sazerac warehouses by balancing inventory levels, in‑stock performance, and delivery lead times to strengthen Sazerac’s position as a best‑in‑class supplier. Lead the continuous improvement of VMI capabilities, forecasting, replenishment, fulfillment, and ways of working to improve service and inventory efficiency.
• Drive industry‑leading customer service and product availability by fostering a culture focused on eliminating out‑of‑stocks and cut cases. Leverage performance reporting, analytics, and strong cross‑functional relationships to identify opportunities, drive accountability, and consistently deliver against department KPIs.
• Lead the Inventory Planning team in delivering superior end‑to‑end supply chain execution, from forecasting and inventory planning through order fulfillment and product delivery. Ensure accurate, timely, and proactive customer communication while strengthening collaboration across Demand Planning, Production, Logistics, Distribution Centers, Commercial, and other key partners. Continuously evaluate evolving customer and market needs to identify opportunities to improve service and execution.
• Design and implement sustainable, scalable processes that improve efficiency, consistency, and execution across the organization. Partner cross‑functionally to identify high‑impact opportunities and translate them into actionable solutions, including innovation execution, data controls, load optimization, process automation, and operational improvements.
• Develop and enhance tools, processes, and controls that enable the Inventory Planning team to identify and act on opportunities in truck building, forecasting, replenishment, and inventory optimization. Establish standardized ways of working that reduce errors and variability while improving productivity, cost efficiency, inventory health, and sales opportunities.
• Partner closely with the Commercial organization to ensure proactive visibility to sales programs, promotional activity, innovation, and changes in demand. Translate commercial inputs into effective inventory and replenishment strategies that optimize product availability across Sazerac distribution centers and distributor warehouses.

Qualifications/Requirements

MUST

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Proven people leadership and development skills
• Strong cross‑functional leadership and continuous improvement mindset
• Strong analytical, technical, and problem‑solving skills
• Excellent planning and organizational skills
• Ability to communicate and influence at all levels
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects
• Ability to perform under pressure and drive process improvement
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel
• Strong attention to detail and execution
• High level of ownership and accountability

PREFERRED

• Experience in Alcohol Beverage Industry or CPG overall

#LI-TH1

#Hybrid

Culture and Benefits

Sazerac offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401K, paid time off, and more. These benefits may vary depending on location and work type. Learn more about how we support our employees here.

The annual salary range for this role is $81,716.44 - $122,574.66. Final compensation will be based on relevant experience, qualifications, geographic location, and internal pay equity considerations.

Sazerac is committed to equality of opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, age, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, physical or mental disability or any other legally protected status.