Manager, Inventory Management

The Manager, Inventory Management is responsible for managing, coaching, and developing a team of Analysts responsible for successfully optimizing inventory across all stages of the product lifecycle for stores and eCommerce to support strategic initiatives, as well as sales, margin, and inventory turn goals. This role reports into the VP & GM of Carter’s, and is based in our Atlanta, GA office. Key responsibilities include:  

Inventory Team Management (50%): 

• Lead a team of Analysts to execute and support Retail Inventory objectives pre-season and in-season 

• In-season: 

• Ensure the successful execution of inventory strategies and allocations each week 

• Partner with buying and planning teams to ensure inventory levels are appropriate to support in-stock expectations, sales builds and promotional cadence 

• Provide support to the team related to ad hoc analysis, field callouts, and inventory sharing opportunities 

• Pre-season: 

• Gain alignment with cross functional teams related to inventory strategy objectives/changes 

• Support the buy process by defining inventory strategies, providing guidance on unit depth, in-stock opportunities, inventory flow adjustments and size curve changes to optimize productivity 

• Ensure accurate execution of Purchase Order writing to support accurate receipts 

Omni Inventory Management (20%): 

• Manage inventory initiatives/changes from start to finish as a business lead 

• Analyze store and eCommerce inventory and provide recommendations on how to shape strategies and improve retail inventory quality 

• Produce and present regular reports on inventory health, allocation actions, and key performance indicators (in-stock rate, weeks of supply, aged inventory, etc.) to leadership. 

• Find opportunities in existing processes and use advanced analytics and/or visualization tools build user-friendly reports to solve business needs that optimize for improved sales, margin, in-stocks & turn 

Team Development (30%): 

• Provide guidance, mentorship, and training to a team of inventory management professionals 

• Encourage critical thinking to promote strategic decision making and problem-solving 

• Foster a collaborative and results-oriented work environment 

We’d Love to hear from you if:

Must have: 

• 5+ years of experience in Retail (Buying, Planning, Allocations), Inventory Management or a related field 

• Demonstrated management skills with a development-first mindset 

• Strong communication – proven ability to lead courageously – speak proactively, offer new ideas, take calculated risks, and support positive change 

• Proficient in developing strong relationships (collaboration) with all levels of the business 

• Analytical / genuine curiosity - ability to evaluate financial and business indicators and translate data into actionable information to drive results 

• Strong critical thinking, operational planning, and business curiosity with the ability to work in a complex cross functional environment 

• Experience in diagnosing, isolating and resolving complex issues 

• Creative and customer focused; ability to develop practical yet innovative solutions 

Preferred skills and experience: 

• Retail experience and/or knowledge of buy and replenishment systems is a plus 

• Proficient in Microsoft Excel (Pivot tables, Xlookups, etc) 

• Tableau experience is a plus