Allocation Analyst

Job Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a new allocation organization and implement new tools and systems for a growing home décor business.  The allocation analyst controls inventories at the store and cluster level by department/class/sku to ensure the department meets and exceeds sales and margin plans.  Provide analysis to the buying and planning team on product categories and make recommendations on assortments and allocation processes.

Key Roles & Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with buyers and planners to develop and communicate a comprehensive assortment planning and allocation strategy that aligns financial and product goals by department/class
• Manage the pre-receiving review of styles to ensure allocations to the stores are in line with the assortment and allocation plan
• Support the successful implementation of new systems and processes
• Establish volume groups by class and product category for assortment planning and allocation purposes
• Build store attributes to understand specific market/store needs utilizing data to drive market segment purchases and allocations
• Review inventory levels and store rankings by department/class, and develop strategies to optimize inventory with new receipts and replenishment
• Perform in-season and post-season analysis to identify future opportunities 
• Recommend minimum buys and packing guidelines
• Build opening assortments for new stores based on sales and inventory goals
• Track and prioritize receipts and inventory flow through the DC to the stores
• Execute all system requirements to allocate product and report recommendations to maximize sales and inventory opportunities
• Participate in local store visits to monitor the impact of allocations and gain field feedback
• Collaborate with peers to ensure consistency of information, share best practices and develop systems knowledge.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with members of cross-functional team
• Provide ad-hoc analysis as required

Qualifications & Competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required 
• Demonstrate strong analytical and problem solving skills
• Able to develop and maintain strong working relationship with peers and cross-functional teams
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Flexible and adaptive to changing priorities
• Possess strong organization and time management skills.  Possess a strong sense of urgency and a high level of attention to detail.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and strong aptitude to learn technical applications quickly