VP - Inventory Planning & Management

About The Role As the VP of Inventory Planning & Management, you will lead the end-to-end inventory planning and allocation function across Grocery Outlet, ensuring our inventory position is optimized across all categories, channels, and nodes—from suppliers to warehouse to store—while balancing in-stock performance, cost, and capacity. This is a highly visible leadership role where you will serve as the architect of our inventory planning capability, building the strategies, processes, tools, and team needed to support Grocery Outlet’s opportunistic buying model at scale. You will operate in a complex environment defined by non-repeatable buys, variable lead times, and supply unpredictability, requiring deep expertise, strong cross-functional leadership, and a hands-on approach to driving performance and continuous improvement. The VP, Inventory Planning & Management, reports to the SVP, Chief Supply Chain Officer. Responsibilities Include Inventory Strategy & Open-to-Buy (OTB) Own and evolve the Open-to-Buy (OTB) checkbook process, ensuring accurate and actionable financial guardrails for purchasing decisions Establish and manage warehouse Days of Supply (DOS) targets by product type and category, balancing service levels with carrying costs and capacity constraints Lead a disciplined weekly OTB review cadence with Purchasing leadership, translating inventory KPIs into clear buying guidance Define and enforce need-by date discipline, ensuring proactive PO management and timely upstream execution Inventory Execution & Performance Management Lead and develop a team of inventory planners with clear accountability for DOS, in-stock performance, and aged inventory outcomes Maintain a rigorous KPI reporting framework covering warehouse inventory, store in-stock rates, aged inventory, and open purchase commitments Own and manage the OOS Issue Tracker and related store communication processes, ensuring timely resolution of service issues Partner with Distribution Center operations to optimize inbound scheduling, storage utilization, and inventory flow Partner with First Mile and Transportation to align inbound velocity, carrier capacity, and network throughput with inventory targets Opportunistic Buying Enablement Serve as the planning engine behind Grocery Outlet’s opportunistic buying strategy, enabling fast, confident decision-making Develop planning protocols tailored to irregular deal flow, quantity variability, and compressed timelines Provide rapid, accurate inventory assessments to support time-sensitive purchasing decisions Team Leadership & Culture Build and lead a high-performing inventory planning team grounded in ownership, accountability, and a bias for action Establish clear expectations and a strong feedback culture; address performance gaps with urgency Hire, develop, and retain top talent while building scalable capabilities and career paths Foster a culture where planners act as proactive business partners, not just order takers Problem Solving & Analytical Rigor Drive a data-first problem-solving culture, requiring clear problem definition and quantified impact Lead root cause analysis on inventory performance gaps using structured methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Pareto) Translate complex inventory challenges into clear, concise, data-driven narratives to support decision-making Champion continuous improvement by challenging assumptions and identifying better ways to plan and manage inventory Cross-Functional Partnership Serve as the primary partner to Purchasing on all inventory-related topics, building strong relationships with Buying leadership Partner with Finance to align inventory planning with financial goals and guardrails Collaborate with Merchandising, Store Operations, and Distribution to align inventory strategy with business priorities Represent the planning function in senior leadership forums, clearly communicating inventory position, risks, and opportunities About The Pay Base Salary Range: $200,000 …

View the full posting and apply