Strategic Demand & Inventory Planner

Collectors Universe, Inc.; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 107,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401(K) Matching Plan

Vacation

Holiday Pay

Employee Discounts

Flexible Hours

Fun Working Environment

Job summary

Collectors Universe, Inc. in Santa Ana, CA, is seeking a Demand Planner to own the full planning lifecycle from demand forecasting through materials planning, inventory optimization, and supply coordination.

You will focus on injection molded components and work closely with procurement and operations. This role requires a Bachelor's degree, at least 5 years in demand planning or related, strong Excel skills, and the ability to operate in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in demand planning, supply planning or inventory management.
• Strong analytical capability with advanced Excel skills; comfortable building tools from scratch.
• Experience operating in fast-paced or resource-constrained environments.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and make decisions with incomplete data.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of the demand forecasting, materials planning, and inventory management across all supported product lines.
• Translate forecasts directly into supply and purchasing signals in coordination with procurement and operations.
• Operate with minimal handoffs, ensuring continuity from planning through execution.
• Partner directly with stakeholders to align on assumptions and priorities.
• Continuously improve forecast accuracy while balancing speed and practicality.
• Work closely with procurement to ensure readiness for new part introductions and demand changes.
• Anticipate risks tied to long lead-time materials and tooling capacity.
• Own inventory health across the network, including turns, aging, excess, and obsolescence.
• Set and adjust safety stock, reorder points, and inventory strategies without relying on fully automated systems.
• Identify and act on opportunities to reduce slow-moving and excess inventory.
• Monitor and address shrinkage and inventory discrepancies in partnership with operations and finance.
• Build reporting and planning tools (primarily in Excel or ERP systems) to create visibility into demand, supply, and inventory.
• Support scenario planning with practical, decision-oriented analysis.
• Incorporate logistics constraints into planning decisions, including inbound timing and distribution impacts.
• Coordinate with logistics partners to anticipate volume changes and potential disruptions.
• Step into gaps as needed to keep the business moving.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical thinking

Supply chain

Decision making under uncertainty

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

ERP/MRP systems

Job description

Collectors Universe, Inc. in Santa Ana, CA, is seeking a Demand Planner to own the full planning lifecycle from demand forecasting through materials planning, inventory optimization, and supply coordination.

You will focus on injection molded components and work closely with procurement and operations. This role requires a Bachelor's degree, at least 5 years in demand planning or related, strong Excel skills, and the ability to operate in a fast-paced environment.