Senior Inventory Planner: Forecast & Freight Strategy

Stio; Jackson (WY); On-site; USD 75,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision plans

Long-term disability

Employee assistance programs

401k with match

Paid time off

Job summary

Stio is seeking a Sr. Inventory Planner to translate seasonal plans into PO requirements, manage buys to align with inventory targets, and advise on air or ocean options based on timelines and cost.

You will collaborate with Category Planning, Production/Sourcing, Operations, and Finance to ensure timely arrivals that support business needs. The role emphasizes maintaining accurate PO and supply data, driving improvements in lead times and freight efficiency, and supporting monthly/seasonal

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in finance, business, engineering, economics, operations management, or equivalent.
• 4+ years of experience in supply planning, inventory planning, production planning, purchasing, or a related function; apparel, footwear, outdoor, or consumer products experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of seasonal product lifecycles, purchase orders, lead times, inventory flow, and other supply planning elements.
• Working knowledge of freight modes, transit times, and landed cost, as well as safety stock and available-to-sell concepts.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to translate analytical findings into actionable recommendations and processes.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, charts, and functions such as SUMIF and VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP.
• Experience with planning software is required; Toolio preferred.
• Ability to manage multiple seasons, deadlines, and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong attention to detail while maintaining a broader understanding of business and inventory objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to identify risks early, solve problems, and communicate clearly across functions.

Responsibilities

• Translate seasonal and in-season inventory plans into purchase order and supply requirements by style, color, and size.
• Create, maintain, and manage purchase orders in alignment with approved buys, inventory targets, and delivery requirements.
• Own and maintain the Planning Buy Plan monthly and as needed, incorporating demand, on-hand inventory, open orders, lead times, vendor capacity, minimum order quantities, and production constraints, to support forecasting and cross-functional partners.
• Analyze air versus ocean freight options for key deliveries, weighing timelines, demand, current inventory position, and freight cost, and recommend the mode that best balances product availability and margin.
• Identify styles at risk of missing launch or in-season need dates, and build the business case for air expedites by comparing the added freight cost to the sales at risk.
• Proactively communicate supply risks and recommend solutions, including delivery prioritization, PO adjustments, cancellations, expedites, or shifts in receipt timing.
• Manage delivery timing to support seasonal launches, channel needs, and inventory productivity while minimizing early or excess inventory.
• Partner closely with Category Planning to ensure supply decisions support inventory targets, weeks of supply, sell-through, and overall business objectives.
• Maintain accurate purchase order, delivery, and supply information within planning systems.
• Analyze inventory performance and identify opportunities to improve lead times, inventory flow, and freight efficiency.
• Support monthly and seasonal forecasting, open-to-buy, and inventory review processes with accurate supply and receipt projections, including safety stock analytics and available-to-sell inventory.
• Partner with Finance to provide visibility into inventory receipts, purchase commitments, freight costs, and changes to planned inventory investment.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships across Planning, Merchandising, Production/Sourcing, Operations, Finance, and other key business partners.

Skills

Supply planning

Forecasting

Analytical skills

Inventory management

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor's degree in finance, business, engineering, economics, operations management, or equivalent

Tools

Toolio

Excel

Job description

Stio is seeking a Sr. Inventory Planner to translate seasonal plans into PO requirements, manage buys to align with inventory targets, and advise on air or ocean options based on timelines and cost.

You will collaborate with Category Planning, Production/Sourcing, Operations, and Finance to ensure timely arrivals that support business needs. The role emphasizes maintaining accurate PO and supply data, driving improvements in lead times and freight efficiency, and supporting monthly/seasonal