Manager, Merchandise Planning

San Francisco, CA | Operations – Supply Chain | Reports to Senior Manager of Supply Chain Planning

COVID-19: Allbirds requires all US-based Corporate employees who enter an Allbirds-owned or operated Corporate facility to demonstrate proof of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of their employment, subject to exemptions for sincerely held religious beliefs, or valid medical reasons.

Who is Allbirds?

At Allbirds, we believe in using business as a force for good. We’re a global footwear and apparel brand with roots in New Zealand and our headquarters in San Francisco. Since 2016, we’ve been on a mission to prove that comfort, design, and sustainability aren’t mutually exclusive. Our commitment to creating better things in a better way is fueled by a belief that the fashion industry needs to focus less on flash and more on thoughtfulness. And as a certified B Corp, we’re dedicated to making the most sustainable products we can using premium natural materials - designed for life’s everyday adventures.

Where we need help

Allbirds is in the process of building a world class operational team to increase our ability to consistently surprise and delight our customers while making the most positive impact to our environment. As we continue to grow at an enormous pace, we need to ensure that we manage our supply chain efficiently from start to finish.

The Supply Chain Planning team plays a critical role in ensuring this occurs. The planning team currently manages several aspects of the supply chain process – for example, forecasting supply and demand across all our assortments and geographies, managing finished goods vendor communication, keeping a close eye on inventory levels including service levels and product sellthrough, and playing a key role in the go-to-market process for new products.

We are looking for a highly analytical individual with previous planning experience, comfortable dealing with large data sets in order to quickly inform supply and demand decisions that impact our bottom line, and has a continuous improvement mindset for building and enhancing forecast models and reporting. This individual should have experience owning end-to-end sales and inventory plans, and they should demonstrate excellent communication and cross-functional collaborations skills. This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who wants to be close to the strategy and execution of manufacturing, merchandising, and the analytical side of a high growth consumer products business. You will work cross functionally with logistics, finance, product strategy, sourcing, product development, analytics and marketing to match supply with demand and bring new products to market; while tracking to operational efficiency KPIs.

What does the job entail?

• Own and fully manage various product categories across demand forecasting, supply and capacity planning, factory and internal communication.
• Own product launches end-to-end from inception to execution across products, color refreshes and country launches. Analyze and react to post-launch performance while identifying risks and opportunities.
• Publish build plans and purchase orders to factories after reviewing production capacity, material availability, customer demand, and inputs from regional and retail teams.
• Lead key monthly touchpoints with leadership for the Apparel category; including the creation of dashboards and reporting to facilitate thoughtful conversation and business action
• Partner with Finance and broader planning team on OTB management; including the evolution of reporting and tracking against targets
• Partner with sourcing team to develop and align on material forecasts in a timely manner to ensure we can achieve critical production and product launch dates
• Continually monitor product supply vs. customer sales, and perform supply and demand analysis to maximize sales, and support replenishment/chase and new launch buys
• Maintain optimal channel inventory through the various stages of the product lifecycle; act as the central point of contact for all supply chain matters for new product launches.
• Work closely with our Logistics team to optimize freight expenses while ensuring product availability
• Partner with cross-functional product teams to develop and communicate key deadlines for launches based on product lead times and critical milestones in go-to-market process that impact supply chain planning
• Analyze data to share product performance and key insights with cross-functional teams that can be used to evolve product assortments and influence future merchandising decisions
• Serve as a key point of contact for global manufacturing partners and regional planning teams
• Build and evolve supply and demand models, reporting and processes to ensure efficiency and accuracy as we scale and adopt new systems

What kind of person are we looking for?

• You have 6+ years of work experience in highly analytical roles such as product / inventory planning, investment banking or management consulting at top tier firms
• You must combine exceptional analytical capabilities with quick decision-making skills
• You have the ability to both think strategically and execute tactically, a persistent attention to detail, and a high level of comfort in working with numbers
• You are inherently a curious person who questions assumptions and takes the initiative to resolve problems with minimal assistance
• You are self-directed and resourceful – someone who will thrive in a constantly changing, fast-paced environment
• You have the attention to detail to sort through large sources of information, identify patterns and abnormalities and make decisions based on facts
• You are an excellent communicator and have the ability to quickly grasp new concepts while asking appropriate questions when information or instruction is not entirely clear.
• You are a team player who develops trust cross-functionally, while understanding key inputs across teams to deliver on goals and drive results.

More practical skills needed:

• BA/BS or equivalent, preferably with quantitative focus; M.B.A. or advanced degree a plus
• Advanced Excel and modeling skills are a must (VLOOKUP and Pivot Tables, advanced IF statements, INDEX/MATCH, scenario modeling); PowerBI a plus
• Deep analytical mindset, and problem-solving acumen
• Experience in Retail product planning, inventory management and/or supply chain operations a plus
• Knowledge of ERP systems / SAP a plus

What do we offer?

• Competitive salary + equity
• Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
• One Medical Membership
• Mental Health and Financial Wellness Benefits
• 401k employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Hybrid work schedule
• Cell Phone and Wellness Stipend
• 50% Discount on Allbirds Products
• Unlimited PTO
• Employee Stock Purchase Program

Diversity

Allbirds is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. Allbirds policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, sex, gender identity, marital or veteran status, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), sexual orientation, pregnancy, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws. It also prohibits discrimination based on a perception that anyone has any of those characteristics, or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics. All such discrimination is unlawful.