Strategic Specialty Inventory Manager

Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Discount

Vacation

Personal Days

Company Holidays

401(k)

Health Benefits

Disability

Life Insurance

Transit

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Barnes & Noble in Chicago, IL is seeking a Specialty Inventory Manager to determine initial buy levels and allocate specialty inventory across stores. You will partner with buyers, DCs, and merchandising systems to ensure inventory aligns with display and sales needs while supporting sell-through goals.

The role requires strong retail analytics, a deep understanding of category trends, and proficiency with Office and BI tools to drive decisions and business results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience with at least 3 years of experience in retail analysis.
• Strong analytical skills; able to think critically and communicate complex ideas clearly.
• High understanding of the specialty business and sales trends.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office and data analysis tools.

Responsibilities

• Identify initial buy quantity and allocation to each store based on sales history and demographics.
• Balance sales and sell-through to meet inventory goals across the store network.
• Collaborate with buyers, distribution centers, and analytics teams to optimize inventory levels.
• Analyze ongoing sales trends and postmortem findings to drive margin and reduce markdowns.

Skills

Retail analytics

Retail math

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in retail analytics

Tools

Microsoft Office

Business Intelligence

IMM

IM2

1010 data

Data Warehouse

Job description

Barnes & Noble in Chicago, IL is seeking a Specialty Inventory Manager to determine initial buy levels and allocate specialty inventory across stores. You will partner with buyers, DCs, and merchandising systems to ensure inventory aligns with display and sales needs while supporting sell-through goals.

The role requires strong retail analytics, a deep understanding of category trends, and proficiency with Office and BI tools to drive decisions and business results.