Sales Inventory & Operations Planning Director

Rust-Oleum; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Rust-Oleum is seeking a Director of Inventory Planning to align inventory strategy with demand and financial goals in a high-impact leadership role based in St. Louis, MO.

You will partner with Sales and cross-functional teams to turn insights into actions, optimize inventory, reduce risk, and maximize service levels. You will lead a high-performing team, drive initiatives to enhance inventory health, and ensure working capital efficiency while supporting strategic objectives and risk

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Supply Chain Planning, Inventory Management, and S&OP/IBP.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders and drive cross-functional alignment.
• Proven success partnering with Sales on demand planning and inventory strategy.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated success improving inventory performance (e.g., reducing excess/obsolete stock while improving service levels).
• Strong ERP and planning systems experience (LN preferred), with proficiency in Power BI and Salesforce.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Sales leadership to proactively identify risks and opportunities.
• Support Sales in evaluating trade-offs between inventory availability, lead times, and customer commitments.
• Serve as the primary liaison between Inventory Planning and Sales to align forecasts, trends, and demand.
• Actively participate in S&OP and IBP processes, ensuring demand signals are clearly understood and incorporated.
• Drive alignment across Supply Chain, Finance, Merchandising, and Operations with clear ownership, priorities, and timelines.
• Lead initiatives to improve inventory health, reduce excess/obsolete stock, and increase inventory turns.
• Partner with Finance to align inventory strategies with financial targets, including working capital and margin goals.
• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing inventory planning team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Develop talent pipelines and succession plans within the organization.
• Champion company safety and quality initiatives.
• Own inventory health across Finished Goods, Purchased Finished Goods, and raw materials.
• Develop and execute strategies that balance service levels, working capital efficiency, and risk mitigation.
• Lead long-range and annual inventory planning aligned with business objectives and sales forecasts.
• Establish frameworks for inventory segmentation, safety stock, and replenishment strategies.
• Define and track KPIs (forecast accuracy, inventory turns, service levels, inventory quality).
• Deliver insights and recommendations to executive leadership, highlighting risks and opportunities.
• Advance planning maturity through digital tools, automation, and analytics.
• Utilize analytics tools to provide real-time visibility into inventory performance.
• Standardize planning processes, metrics, and dashboards globally.
• Implement governance structures that strengthen accountability across Sales and Planning teams.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Demand planning

Inventory management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Strategic thinking

Executive presence

S&OP/IBP experience

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain/Business

MBA or advanced degree preferred

Tools

Power BI

Salesforce

ERP LN

Job description

Title: Director of Inventory Planning

Location: St. Louis, MO (On-Site)

Summary

The Director of Inventory Planning plays a key role in fueling business growth by aligning inventory strategy with customer demand and financial goals. Through strong partnership across Sales and cross‑functional teams, this leader transforms insights into actions—optimizing inventory, reducing risk, and maximizing service.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business, or related field (MBA or advanced degree preferred)
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Supply Chain Planning, Inventory Management, and S&OP/IBP
• Executive presence with the ability to influence senior leaders and drive cross‑functional alignment
• Proven success partnering with Sales on demand planning and inventory strategy
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
• Demonstrated success improving inventory performance (e.g., reducing excess/obsolete stock while improving service levels)
• Strong ERP and planning systems experience (LN preferred), with proficiency in Power BI and Salesforce

Physical Requirements

• Regular use of standard office equipment (computer, phone, copier, etc.)
• Ability to work at a computer for extended periods (up to 8 hours per day)
• Occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds
• Travel up to 50% as needed

Essential Functions

Sales Partnership & Demand Alignment

• Partner with Sales leadership to proactively identify risks and opportunities
• Support Sales in evaluating trade‑offs between inventory availability, lead times, and customer commitments
• Serve as the primary liaison between Inventory Planning and Sales to align forecasts, trends, and demand
• Actively participate in S&OP and IBP processes, ensuring demand signals are clearly understood and incorporated

Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Drive alignment across Supply Chain, Finance, Merchandising, and Operations with clear ownership, priorities, and timelines
• Lead initiatives to improve inventory health, reduce excess/obsolete stock, and increase inventory turns
• Partner with Finance to align inventory strategies with financial targets, including working capital and margin goals

Leadership

• Build, mentor, and lead a high‑performing inventory planning team
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement
• Develop talent pipelines and succession plans within the organization
• Champion company safety and quality initiatives

Strategic Inventory Planning

• Own inventory health across Finished Goods, Purchased Finished Goods, and raw materials
• Develop and execute strategies that balance service levels, working capital efficiency, and risk mitigation
• Lead long‑range and annual inventory planning aligned with business objectives and sales forecasts
• Establish frameworks for inventory segmentation, safety stock, and replenishment strategies

Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Define and track KPIs (forecast accuracy, inventory turns, service levels, inventory quality)
• Deliver insights and recommendations to executive leadership, highlighting risks and opportunities
• Advance planning maturity through digital tools, automation, and analytics
• Leverage systems and analytics to improve responsiveness and decision‑making
• Standardize planning processes, metrics, and dashboards globally
• Implement governance structures that strengthen accountability across Sales and Planning teams
• Utilize analytics tools to provide real‑time visibility into inventory performance

Carboline is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values the strength diversity brings to the workplace. Individuals with Disabilities and Protected Veterans are encouraged to apply.