Join our team as the next Planning Manager!

We offer a fun, fast-paced, and dog-friendly work environment. Salary is negotiable based on education and relevant experience. Excellent benefits (medical, dental, vision, retirement, and wellness) are also provided. We offer a hybrid-remote work environment; work shifts are longer Monday through Thursday to allow for half-days on Fridays.

We want to hear from you if you want to work in a small but growing company with an outstanding culture where you could thrive accurately forecasting and optimizing inventory management.

PURPOSE: The Planning Manager is pivotal in driving operational excellence and ensuring the seamless alignment of demand and supply within our global headwear business. This position exists to optimize inventory management, enhance forecast accuracy, and support business growth by delivering the right products to the right place at the right time in the right amount.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The following tasks represent what the position typically performs; tasks and work priorities may change at any time, and other job duties may be assigned.

Demand Planning

Develop and maintain accurate demand forecasts at the SKU level using historical data, market trends, and promotional activities.

Collaborate with sales, marketing, and merchandising teams to integrate market intelligence into forecasting models.

Monitor and adjust forecasts based on business changes, seasonality, and customer feedback.

Supply Planning

Design and manage supply plans to ensure product availability while optimizing inventory levels.

Coordinate with sourcing, production, and procurement teams to align supply with demand requirements.

Mitigate supply chain risks by identifying potential disruptions and developing contingency plans.

Inventory Management

Oversee inventory health across multiple sales channels, including retail, e-commerce, and wholesale across domestic and international markets.

Implement inventory optimization strategies to reduce excess stock and improve turn rates.

Regularly review and adjust safety stock levels to balance service levels and operational costs.

Seasonal Plan & Margin Management

Collaborate with the Head of Product in developing annual and seasonal merchandise plans.

In partnership with the Head of Product, develop pre-season top-down/bottom-up level plans for sales, inventory, markdowns/sell-out plans, style counts, productivity, and margin.

Analytics and Reporting

Track key performance metrics, including forecast accuracy, fill rates, and inventory turns, and recommend improvements.

Generate actionable insights from data to drive decision-making and continuous improvement.

Present regular updates to senior leadership on demand/supply trends, risks, and opportunities.

Collaboration and Communication

Act as the central point of contact for planning-related activities, ensuring alignment between cross-functional teams.

Support new product launches and seasonal rollouts with coordinated demand/supply plans.

Foster strong relationships with sourcing and logistics teams to ensure timely delivery and quality assurance.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education: Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience.

Experience:

5+ years in demand/supply planning or inventory management, preferably in the fashion, apparel, or accessories industry.

2+ years of experience in a lead or supervisory role is preferred.

Skills:

Advanced proficiency in forecasting tools and ERP systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite, or similar).Strong analytical skills with expertise in Excel and data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI).

Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.

Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to problem-solving.

Knowledge:

Familiarity with headwear product categories and associated supply chain nuances.

Understanding of industry trends, seasonality, and customer behavior in fashion and accessories.

COMPETENCIES:

Decision Making - Uses sound judgment to make good decisions based on information gathered and analyzed. Determines priorities and importance of action. Considers all pertinent facts and alternatives before deciding on the most appropriate action based on the situation. Commits to the decision and acts on the decision promptly, avoiding procrastination

Initiative - Takes action to influence events. Initiates action without direction from others. Recognizes opportunities and identifies problems. Generates ideas for improvement, takes advantage of opportunities, and suggests innovations. Uses resources creatively and optimally. Does more than required. Proactive in seeking solutions and overcoming challenges.

Adaptability - Adapts to changing work environments, priorities, and organizational needs. Able to effectively deal with change and diverse people. Able to react to disruptions and problems quickly and effectively. Able to deal with multiple demands and expectations. Applies knowledge and skills to new circumstances.

Communication - Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an advanced ability to communicate issues and solutions effectively.

Problem Solving - Analyzes problems by gathering, reviewing, and organizing all relevant information. Able to detect, recognize, and define problems. Uses available resources to assess the problem. Identifies cause and effect relationships. Comes up with appropriate solutions; decides on the best option for problem resolution.

Teamwork - Interacts with people effectively. Able and willing to share and receive information. Encourages and respects the input of other team members. Communicates openly and honestly. Co-operates within the group and across groups. Supports group decisions and puts group goals ahead of own goals. Commits to the common goal and fulfills individual responsibilities.

Embraces and fosters company core values in their work:

Deliver on your promises

Help each other win.

Embrace change and learning.

Be stewards of the outdoors.

Choose optimism.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work environment characteristics described here represent those employees may encounter while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. The key responsibilities of this position are performed in a typical office environment with a low to moderate noise level.

Note: This is not necessarily an exhaustive or all-inclusive list of responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts, functions, or working conditions associated with the job. This job description is not a contract of employment or a promise or guarantee of any specific terms or conditions of employment. Sunday Afternoons Inc. reserves the right to add, modify, or delete any aspect of this job (or the position itself) whenever necessary.

Flexible work from home options available.