About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Retail Apparel and Fashion.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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Role overview

Confidential Client is seeking an Inventory Planning Data Analyst to own replenishment planning, forecasting, and the analytics foundation that keeps top-selling items in stock while minimizing excess inventory. This role combines SQL and BI reporting with machine learning forecasting and AI-assisted planning to support retail replenishment across channels (including Amazon). The analyst reports to the Director of Production Operations and partners with Sales, eCommerce, Sourcing, and Logistics.

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What you’ll do — Data, Analytics & AI

• Build and maintain the data foundation for inventory planning: extract, join, validate, and model data from the ERP (Ai2000/Oracle), customer portals, and internal sources using SQL, Excel, and Power BI.
• Design, build, and improve a machine-learning forecasting tool for replenishment SKUs; measure forecast accuracy and iterate on models.
• Design and deploy AI-assisted planning workflows (e.g., Claude agents) to automate routine pulls, exception detection, draft PO recommendations, and customer-ready reports.
• Create and maintain Power BI dashboards and reports tracking fill rate, in-stock rate, weeks of supply, inventory turns, aged inventory, and forecast accuracy.
• Produce clear analyses and actionable recommendations for Sales, eCommerce, and leadership; present findings to support decisions.
• Document data sources, models, and planning processes for reproducibility and handover.

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What you’ll do — Replenishment & Seasonal Planning

• Own replenishment planning for Amazon and other replenishment customers: maintain item- and size-level forecasts, set weeks-of-supply targets and safety stock, and place timely purchase orders to hit inventory targets (e.g., 80% fill rate).
• Plan seasonal buys by customer and season, align size curves to projections and historical sell-through, and work backward from vendor lead times and required in-stock dates.
• Monitor demand signals weekly (POS, Vendor Central, open orders, on-hand inventory) and act on stockouts, overstocks, and forecast misses.
• Coordinate with Sourcing, Production, and Logistics on lead times, capacity, and delivery timing.

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What you’ll do — Assortment & Performance Management

• Maintain and use the item-performance metric (M Score) to rank items for backfill, hold, or exit.
• Proactively reorder high-performing items to remain in stock during selling windows.
• Identify underperforming items and recommend exit strategies (markdowns, channel shifts, discontinuation) supported by data.
• Track outcomes of backfill and exit actions to improve subsequent planning cycles.

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Other duties

• Provide ad-hoc analysis and reporting to Operations and Production.
• Reconcile customer-specific inventory positions and support customer inquiries.

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Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Analytics, Information Systems, Statistics, or equivalent work experience.
• 2+ years in inventory planning, demand planning, replenishment, buying, or business/data analytics — ideally in consumer products, footwear, apparel, or retail.
• Working proficiency in SQL (joins, aggregations) against relational databases.
• Advanced Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, Power Query).
• Experience building reports or dashboards in Power BI (or comparable BI tools).
• Hands-on experience using AI tools (e.g., Claude) in analytical workflows and interest in applying AI to automate processes.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to validate data and explain recommendations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for cross-functional audiences.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize, and manage multiple deadlines in a small-team environment.

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Preferred skills

• Experience with Python or R for analysis or forecasting.
• Exposure to forecasting methods or machine learning models.
• Experience with Amazon Vendor Central or retailer replenishment portals.
• Experience with enterprise ERP systems (Oracle preferred).
• APICS CPIM or CSCP certification.

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Work environment & physical requirements

This is an office-based role in Renton, WA with occasional visits to the warehouse. Standard business hours with flexibility during peak seasonal planning periods.

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Compensation & benefits

• Job type: Full-time, exempt
• Salary: $75,000 – $100,000 per year (DOE)
• Benefits highlights:
  • Medical, dental, vision
  • 401(k) with company match
  • Paid time off and paid holidays; wellness days and additional accrual by tenure
  • Employee purchase credit and wholesale pricing
  • Paid volunteer hours
  • Open work environment, casual dress, flexible schedule
  • Flat organization with exposure to leadership

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Keywords & focus areas

• Inventory planning
• Demand forecasting & replenishment
• SQL, Excel, Power BI
• AI-assisted planning (Claude), machine learning forecasting
• Retail / consumer products inventory analytics

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.