Planning & Allocation Senior Associate

Wayfair; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 84,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayfair in Boston, MA seeks a Senior Associate of Planning & Allocation to optimize inventory across our Physical Retail Stores. You will partner with Merchandising, Store Ops and Inventory Management to allocate stock, forecast demand and adjust strategies in a fast-paced environment.

The role emphasizes data-driven analysis, KPI tracking, and clear communications to stakeholders while delivering impact on availability and turns for our growing store fleet.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years in allocation, replenishment or planning in retail or a related analytics function.
• Ability to independently own and drive allocation strategies with measurable impact.
• Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills and experience with data-driven decision making.
• Clear written and verbal communication; ability to influence partners.
• Retail experience preferred; home or adjacent categories are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and refine allocation strategies to meet availability and turns.
• Leverage data to forecast demand and identify assortment gaps.
• Pivot strategies when priorities shift and communicate impact to stakeholders.
• Build relationships with Merchandising, Store Ops, Inventory teams to align goals.
• Track KPIs and report insights to drive action and accountability.

Skills

Allocation planning

Data analysis

Excel/Google Sheets

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

BigQuery

Internal reporting systems

Job description

This is a full-time position (40 hours/week) based in our Boston office. Attendance in-office is required Monday - Thursday, Friday is WFH optional.

The base pay for this position is $83,500 - $92,250. The base pay offered may vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Relocation assistance and/or immigration related sponsorship is not available for this role.

At Wayfair Planning and Allocation, 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. The Planning and Allocation team partners across the organization to maximize the customer experience when shopping in person at our expanding fleet of Physical Retail Stores. We work closely with Merchandising, Operations, and Inventory Management teams to drive availability and enticing assortment selections in stores, ensuring customers are able to shop and purchase the curated assortment they want to see.

Wayfair’s Physical Retail team is seeking a highly motivated Senior Associate of Planning & Allocation who is comfortable operating in a fast paced and ambiguous environment for the Physical Retail P&A team to support the allocation of inventory to our stores. This role will partner with a variety of internal teams (Merchandising, Visual Merchandising, Marketing, Inventory Management) to support our Specialty Retail brands and execute the allocation strategy as we continue to scale stores across North America.

Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, and refine allocation strategies to meet availability and turn goals while balancing sustainability and customer needs.
• Leverage data to identify assortment gaps, forecast demand, and independently action next steps (e.g., curating product tests based on market and competitor insights).
• Pivot allocation and inventory strategies when business priorities shift, ensuring alignment with higher-level goals and continuity of execution.
• Build trusting relationships with internal stakeholders (Supplier Inventory Management, Merchandising, Store Ops) by aligning on goals, sharing insights, and following through on commitments.
• Provide clear, concise, and audience-specific updates that highlight the "so what" behind business performance and recommendations.
• Identify opportunities to streamline and scale allocation processes, proactively building tools, dashboards, or workflows that improve efficiency across the team
• Take an 80/20 approach to prioritization, biasing toward action while maintaining focus on business outcomes.
• Conduct in-depth analyses using internal dashboards, competitive benchmarks, and market trends to inform allocation strategies.
• Track and report on KPIs, identifying performance gaps and leading action plans to address them.
• Use second-order questioning and advanced problem-solving to navigate complexity and uncover new business opportunities.

Requirements

• 3-5 years in an allocation, replenishment, or planning role within retail or a related analytical/operational function.
• Proven ability to independently own and drive allocation or inventory strategies with measurable business impact.
• Strong analytical toolkit with experience leveraging Excel/Google Sheets (pivots, formulas), GBQ and internal reporting systems to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to synthesize data into clear narratives and influence cross-functional partners.
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize workload autonomously, balancing execution speed with strategic depth.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred in Supply Chain, Business, Analytics, Economics, or related fields.
• Retail experience strongly preferred; experience in Home or adjacent categories (general merchandise, consumer goods) is a plus.

Assistance For Individuals With Disabilities

Wayfair is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. As part of this commitment, Wayfair will make reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified individuals with disabilities, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on business operations. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by completing our Accomodations for Applicants form.

About Wayfair Inc.

Wayfair is one of the world's largest online destinations for the home. Whether you work in our global headquarters in Boston, or in our warehouses or offices throughout the world, we’re reinventing the way people shop for their homes. Through our commitment to industry-leading technology and creative problem-solving, we are confident that Wayfair will be home to the most rewarding work of your career. If you’re looking for rapid growth, constant learning, and dynamic challenges, then you’ll find that amazing career opportunities are knocking.

No matter who you are, Wayfair is a place you can call home. We’re a community of innovators, risk‑takers, and trailblazers who celebrate our differences, and know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well‑positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our employees, customers, community, and suppliers to help guide us as we build a better Wayfair - and world - for all. Every voice, every perspective matters. That’s why we’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Your personal data is processed in accordance with our Candidate Privacy Notice (https://www.wayfair.com/careers/privacy). If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights under applicable privacy and data protection laws, please contact us at [e-mail].