Manager, Inventory & Demand Planning

Zenni Optical, Inc.; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Bonus Program

Healthcare: 100% premiums covered for

401k with up to 4% match

Short and long term disability

Basic Life and AD&D

Parental Leave

Wellness programs

Flexible Time Off

Zenni Gift Card

Job summary

Zenni Optical, Inc. in Phoenix seeks a Manager, Inventory and Demand Planning to lead strategic inventory and demand forecasting for frames and lenses. You will drive Open-to-Buy, manage a team of planners, and align inventory with sales targets and margins.

The role focuses on deploying planning systems, leveraging AI, and delivering precise forecasts. Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration are essential to optimize turnover and minimize write-offs.

Qualifications

• Analytical leadership with ability to translate data into actionable strategies.
• Financial acumen: translate item-level demand into dollar projections and margins.
• Predictive forecasting: model promotional lift, seasonality, and sales velocity.
• Cross-functional collaboration: partner with product, marketing, procurement, logistics.

Responsibilities

• Manage monthly and quarterly financial and demand planning for subcategories.
• Oversee Open-to-Buy (OTB) budgets and inventory performance.
• Direct end-to-end category ownership with team management.
• Balance stock across frames vs lenses to optimize margins.
• Lead planning systems deployment and AI-enabled analytics.
• Provide weekly KPI reviews and risk assessments.

Skills

Analytical Leadership

Financial Acumen

Predictive Forecasting

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field

Tools

Excel

AI in planning

Anaplan

Blue Yonder

SAP APO/IBP

Oracle Retail

Job description

Who We Are

Zenni pioneered the online eyewear industry in 2003 with a mission to make eyewear affordable and accessible for everyone. With complete prescription pairs starting under $10, Zenni offers adults and children the freedom to see clearly and express themselves through a wide selection of high-quality prescription glasses, sunglasses, protective eyewear, and non‑prescription frames - curated with fashion, function, and style in mind. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zenni has redefined the traditional retail model, emerging as the premier destination for online eyewear in the United States while surpassing 70 million frames sold globally.

Zenni is proud to be the Official Eyewear of the San Francisco 49ers, Columbus Crew, Monster Jam, WWE, Team Liquid, and more. Zenni has collaborated with designers and tastemakers on exclusive collections, including Chase Stokes and George and Claire Kittle. For more information, visit zenni.com.

About the Role

The Manager, Inventory and Demand Planning drives optimal inventory planning and investment to support optimal sales performance and margin execution. This role blends strategic inventory financial and unit planning with operational demand forecasting to ensure inventory alignment with customer demand. This role is responsible for driving subcategory in‑stock position, guiding a team of planners, and maintaining strong governance over sales targets, gross margins, and inventory performance.

In addition to managing team operations, this role will actively serve as a key player by directly owning and managing designated product categories for end‑to‑end planning across assigned commodities (Frames vs. Lens) and subcategories. Furthermore, the Manager will help lead the deployment and continuous enhancement of new planning systems, incorporating AI, and reporting & analytics tools. This leader will scale our planning capabilities and elevate organizational forecasting precision.

The ideal candidate blends strategic financial oversight with tactical demand planning at an item‑level—managing subcategory Open‑to‑Buy (OTB) budgets, leading high‑priority "A" SKU strategy at the factory/location level and ensuring optimal system logic for secondary product tiers.

Responsibilities

• Financial & Strategic Planning (Monthly / Quarterly)
• Planning Execution & Governance: Review of monthly and quarterly sales, margin, and inventory reviews across subcategories, tracking performance against targets and resulting Open‑to‑Buy (OTB).
• Direct Category Ownership: Manage and own the end‑to‑end financial and demand planning for specific assigned subcategories alongside team management duties.
• Commodity & Subcategory Inventory & Open to Buy Strategy: Balance portfolio goals across primary commodities (Frames vs. Lens), optimizing gross margin and working capital.
• Inventory Allocation & Consolidation: Direct strategic stock reallocations, inventory consolidations, and safety stock adjustments across locations to prevent liabilities, stock outs, and maximize turnover.
• Team Supervision & Development: Manage and coach Merchandise Planners, establishing clear operational KPIs, workflows, and functional development plans.
• Demand Planning & Forecasting (Weekly / Operational)
• Systems & Analytics Deployment: Lead the integration, utilization, and ongoing refinement of planning software, algorithm tuning, analytical reporting tools, and AI capabilities across the team.
• Focus SKU Oversight: Direct hands‑on planning and location/factory‑level forecasting for core best‑selling SKUs (50-100 items per planner), while maintaining and refining logic for B, C, and D SKUs.
• KPI & Risk Tracking: Lead weekly operational reviews of sales performance, forecast accuracy, out‑of‑stock (OOS) risks, and New Product Introduction (NPI) on‑time deliveries.
• Lifecycle & Discontinuation Management: Oversee sell‑through plans for discontinued items to ensure minimal liability to exit inventory and minimize write‑off risk.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Proven track record of working seamlessly with cross‑functional teams (Product Category teams, Marketing, Procurement, Warehousing & Logistics) to align business strategies and execute unified plans.
• Work closely with the Procurement team to ensure that timely purchases are made fulfilling open to buy requirements.

Basic Qualifications

• Analytical Leadership: Strong ability to synthesize large datasets, translate numbers into actionable strategies, and present clear solutions to management.
• Financial Acumen: Expertise in translating item‑level demand into dollar projections, gross margins, and working capital requirements.
• Predictive Forecasting: Deep understanding of promotional lift, seasonal curves, sales velocity, and historical trend modeling.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to build strong partnerships across teams and integrate diverse input into a unified demand plan.

Preferred Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field.
• Technical Proficiency and AI adaptability: Advanced expertise in Microsoft Excel (financial modeling, complex formulas, pivot tables, data structuring), and adopting artificial intelligence into functional requirements.
• Enterprise Systems: Hands‑on experience implementing, using, and managing teams within enterprise planning software (e.g., Anaplan, Blue Yonder, SAP APO/IBP, Oracle Retail).
• Experience: 4-6+ years of progressive experience in merchandise financial planning or demand planning, including direct category ownership and supervisory experience.

U.S. Perks & Benefits

• Annual Bonus Program
• Healthcare: 100% premiums covered for medical, dental, and vision for employees (50% for dependents)
• Basic Life and AD&D with option for additional voluntary coverage
• Short and long term disability coverage
• 401k with up to 4% match
• EAP and Spring Health that gives you and dependents access to free therapy and coaching
• Free access for you and your family to our digital wellness platform - Wellness Coach
• FTO (Flex Time Off) in addition to our Week of Zen - the time between Christmas and New Year's to relax and recuperate
• Fully Paid Parental Leave - 16 weeks for birthing and non‑birthing parents
• Family forming & fertility support and services through Maven
• Annual Zenni Gift Card - to use towards our products!

(U.S. ONLY) Please Note: We are registered in some, but not all states. If you are located in one of the following states full time, we welcome you to apply: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia.

At Zenni Optical, people remain the heart of our mission, even as we embrace technology that moves us forward. While we recognize the immense promise of AI, we are equally mindful of its limitations and use these tools strictly to assist our Talent Acquisition team rather than replace human judgment. We utilize AI tools as a collaborative partner to create content—such as job descriptions, interview questions, and outreach messaging—and review resumes, but we maintain a firm commitment to human‑led hiring where AI never makes a final decision. Every selection is determined by a member of our team to ensure every candidate is personally valued by a human rather than an algorithm.

We strive to build a diverse team of individuals with a broad range of experience and perspectives. We encourage you to apply even if you don't feel you meet all the qualifications. Zenni Optical is an equal opportunity workplace and considers applications without regard to race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.