Strategic Inventory & Forecast Planner

Clarks; Needham (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Clarks in Needham, MA is seeking an Inventory Planner to manage forecasts across seasonal cycles, align inventory with budgets, and maximize sales while minimizing excess. You will collaborate with Wholesale and Retail Planning, maintain consensus forecasts, and generate time-phased ATP signals for Supply Chain partners, ensuring on-time availability.

Ideal candidates bring strong Excel and planning software experience (SAP, Demand Manager, Power BI), plus a collaborative, data-driven approach

Qualifications

• Successful Demand and Supply Planning, Buying, and Merchandising experience.
• Experience in demand and supply planning in footwear or related field.
• Merchandise planning and forecasting.
• Strong organizational skills to coordinate feedback from a variety of sources.
• Practical understanding of demand planning and inventory management processes.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel (if statements, linking, pivot tables, etc.).
• Strong analytical and verbal skills.
• Planning Software (SAP, Demand Manager, MFP, Business Objects, Power BI, D360).
• Analytical/ highly numerate and able to identify key information.
• Ability to problem solve.
• Team player, goal oriented.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Wholesale and Retail Planning teams to develop supply plans that align with factory capacity constraints and lead-time requirements, ensuring on-time inventory availability.
• Maintain the Demand Manager Planning System consensus forecast at the article level, generating time-phased Available-to-Promise (ATP) signals for Customer Service and Factory Purchase Plan signals for Supply Chain partners.
• Review and validate demand forecasts across customer accounts, channels, and distribution networks to support inventory and service-level objectives.
• Develop and deliver monthly factory purchase plans for the current buying season, balancing inventory targets, receipt plans, and manufacturing capacity limitations.
• Share best practices, communicate key planning insights, and collaborate cross-functionally to improve forecasting accuracy, inventory efficiency, and overall business performance.
• Execute monthly factory purchase order placement activities, ensuring accurate order creation, timely execution, and alignment with inventory and demand plans.
• Create and maintain purchase orders and SKU profiles, supporting accurate product setup, inventory visibility, and replenishment planning.
• Monitor inventory balances and purchasing requirements to support targeted service levels while minimizing excess inventory and obsolescence risk.
• Plan and execute the Direct Ship purchase order process in partnership with Customer Service and Supply Planning teams to ensure efficient order fulfillment and on-time delivery.
• Own data integrity within demand and supply planning systems, ensuring accurate inventory visibility, availability forecasting, and decision-making support across customer service, supply chain, planning and finance functions.
• Accountable for delivering inventory productivity and financial performance in line with or exceeding annual targets across the Americas region. Execute capacity planning, factory purchase planning cycles, and purchase order management with a focus on reducing inventory investment, improving receipt timing, and maximizing inventory efficiency.
• Manage inventory purchases to ensure sales forecasts are adequately supported within factory capacity constraints while meeting inventory receipt plans and financial objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on enhancing forecasting accuracy, optimizing inventory investments, streamlining planning processes, and improving overall supply chain efficiency.

Skills

Demand Planning

Buying & Merchandising

Forecasting

Excel Advanced

Analytical Skills

Team Player

Communication

Tools

SAP

Demand Manager

MFP

Business Objects

Power BI

D360

Job description

Clarks in Needham, MA is seeking an Inventory Planner to manage forecasts across seasonal cycles, align inventory with budgets, and maximize sales while minimizing excess. You will collaborate with Wholesale and Retail Planning, maintain consensus forecasts, and generate time-phased ATP signals for Supply Chain partners, ensuring on-time availability.

Ideal candidates bring strong Excel and planning software experience (SAP, Demand Manager, Power BI), plus a collaborative, data-driven approach