Inventory Planner (store Support Center, Lenexa, KS)

Inventory Planner

Ace Retail Holdings (ARH), the division of Ace Hardware Corporation that owns and operates the Great Lakes and Westlake Ace Hardware chains, is one of the largest hardware retailers in the United States. ARH has been in operation for over a century and operates over 250 neighborhood stores located throughout the United States. Great people make ARH stand out in our industry, and we are looking for individuals who strive for personal and professional growth, and who want to work with a company founded on (and still led by) our solid Core Values of:

Winning, Excellence, Love, Integrity, Gratitude, Humility and Teamwork

General Job Summary: The Inventory Planner position is responsible for planning, managing and maintaining replenishment for specified categories of business. This individual will effectively manage the placement and/or replenishment of a designated product category to maintain an in-stock standard while achieving planned turnover and revenue growth.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide excellent customer service to our stores!
• Maintain proper inventory levels in all stores to support profitable sales goals.
• Analyze sales and stock levels to ensure the replenishment system reflects current sales trends, presentation standards and turnover goals.
• Monitor product flow from Ace RSC's and direct to stores vendor orders.
• Monitor and adjust replenishment parameters to meet the needs of the stores.
• Review upcoming promotional activities to ensure proper inventory levels to maximize sales potential.
• Perform inventory forecasting for future needs and replenish and allocate products as needed.
• Analyze inventory productivity and make adjustments as needed to increase inventory turnover.
• Review discontinued product status for productivity improvements and recommend SKU rationalization measures.
• Work closely with Ace Inventory Teams to maximize flow-thru efficiencies.
• Keep the Director of Inventory Planning updated on current projects, challenges and opportunities.
• Perform complex and highly detailed work with accuracy and precision.
• Provide quality inventory and purchase recommendations to Category Managers.
• Partner with Category Managers to ensure proper in-stock levels, identify items not meeting performance goals and develop timely strategies to reduce inventory or exit item(s).
• Provide inventory management education to Field personnel.
• Communicate with store teams and respond to individual store issues as required.
• Build annual inventory projections for each category of responsibility.
• Utilize and develop expertise with Business Intelligence reporting tools.
• Participate in cross-functional projects as required for overall continuous improvement.
• Perform other related duties and special projects as assigned.

Other Essential Requirements:

• Ability to exhibit and incorporate our Core Values into daily decisions and interactions with others:
• WINNING – In business, money is the score. To win, we must perform, compete, and have fun. At Ace, we win through people- our strength is being helpful.
• EXCELLENCE – Excellence honors God and inspires people. We aspire to be the best, to continuously improve and to inspire others by giving the team our very best.
• LOVE – Love the people, love the work and love the results.
• INTEGRITY – For Ace to win, we need to be able to trust each other. And trust will require us to be honest, reliable, caring, of high character and of unquestioned ethics.
• GRATITUDE – We recognize that we are blessed to be in the business of serving others.
• HUMILITY – We strive for greatness with a humble, modest and respectful attitude.
• TEAMWORK – We will fight the natural tendency for control and credit in favor of collaboration and mutual success, recognizing that…Together, we are Ace.

Minimum Skills, Requirements and Qualifications:

• Three to four years of experience in planning and allocation, buying, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience with demand forecast planning systems.
• Clear understanding of retail measurements including sales, gross margin, GMROI, weeks of supply (WOS) and how to impact them.
• Strong business planning and financial analysis abilities with a minimum of 3 years experience analyzing sales trends in a retail environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic business environment.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Effective trend merchandising aptitude.
• Analytical thinker, team player, customer-focused, business minded.
• Strong software skills including Microsoft Office, E3 Replenishment, Epicor Eagle & BI Reporting tools.
• Advanced use of Excel.
• Passion for the retail industry.
• Travel as required.
• Standing, walking, lifting (up to 25 lbs.) and climbing.

Compensation Details: $65000-$70000 per year

Equal Opportunity Employer: Westlake Ace Hardware is committed to a policy of promoting equal employment opportunities. The company recognizes the importance of diversity and leveraging the skills and talents of all people to the mutual advantage of each individual and the organization. The company is committed to the prevention of employment discrimination related to race, religion, color, sex (including sexual harassment), gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, disability and military discharge, or any other action covered by federal or state laws.