Director, Inventory Strategy

Summary
The Director, Inventory Strategy & Performance provides strategic leadership and direction for inventory health, service level performance, capacity planning, and demand alignment across all regions. This role oversees the development and execution of enterprise-wide inventory strategies that balance working capital efficiency with exceptional customer service.

The Director will lead and mentor a team of Senior Managers and Inventory Performance professionals, driving alignment between field operations, merchandising, and supply chain functions. As a key business partner to regional and corporate leadership, this individual ensures data-driven decision-making, operational excellence, and continuous improvement across the end-to-end supply chain.

Duties & Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Direction

• Set the overall vision and strategy for inventory performance, ensuring alignment with corporate supply chain and financial objectives.
• Provide direction and leadership to Senior Managers and regional teams, ensuring consistency in execution and performance across all business units.
• Identify and prioritize enterprise opportunities for improving service reliability, inventory flow, and cost efficiency.
• Develop and implement strategic initiatives that enhance visibility, scalability, and long-term sustainability of inventory operations.

Customer Service Level Management

• Oversee customer service level performance across all regions and channels, ensuring targets are met or exceeded.
• Champion a data-driven approach to service excellence by leading strategic root cause and trend analysis
• Champion proactive communication and resolution of escalated customer inventory issues, including high impact "Red Alert" accounts.

Inventory Health & Optimization

• Direct the analysis and oversight of Days Sales Outstanding (DSO), ensuring inventory levels align with forecasted demand, service expectations, and working capital goals.
• Partner with SR. Manager to guide strategies to reduce excess, aged, and obsolete inventory while maintaining high service standards.
• Provide executive-level insight into inventory investment, flow performance, and regional risk mitigation strategies.

Capacity Planning & Response Leadership

• Oversee the Inbound Capacity strategy across all regions, ensuring alignment of inbound flows, space utilization, and operational constraints.
• Establishes and maintains effective communication channels with operational teams to ensure alignment and execution of business objectives.
• Lead collaboration with Operations and Regional Distribution Centers to ensure optimal inbound capacity settings and reserve capacity planning by temperature zone.

Demand Planning & Forecast Alignment

• Partner with corporate Demand Planning and Field Leadership to ensure forecasts reflect market conditions and strategic growth objectives.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and guide regions in adapting plans to evolving trends.
• Lead enterprise-level seasonal and promotional planning efforts to ensure readiness and balance between supply and demand for the regions.

Reporting, Governance, & Collaboration

• Deliver high-impact performance insights and executive-level reporting to senior leadership.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and data-driven decision-making across the organization.
• Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Merchandising, Operations, and Finance to drive alignment and shared success.
• Support change management initiatives that improve visibility, standardization, and process maturity.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Business, Finance, or related field required;
• MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years in supply chain operations, inventory strategy, or demand planning, with 5+ years in senior or director-level leadership.

Skills And Abilities

• Proven track record of driving financial and operational improvements through data analytics and cross-functional collaboration.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to influence and align executive stakeholders.
• Strong business acumen and analytical capabilities, with deep understanding of supply chain financial metrics (DSO, working capital, cost-to-serve).
• Expertise in enterprise systems (SAP, JDA, Oracle, or equivalent) and advanced analytics tools (Power BI, Tableau, Excel).

Preferred Skills

• Background in food service, distribution.
• Strong understanding of demand forecasting, inventory planning systems, and supply chain network optimization.
• Demonstrated success leading through change and building high-performing teams in complex, matrixed organizations.