Senior Manager, Supply Inventory Strategy & Performance

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager, Inventory Strategy & Performance will lead the strategic direction, execution, and oversight of inventory health, customer service levels, capacity planning, and demand alignment. This leadership role is accountable for guiding and supporting a team focused on optimizing inventory performance and driving supply chain efficiency through data-driven decision-making.

Acting as a key liaison between field leadership, and operations, this individual will ensure alignment across functions, identify trends, and implement initiatives that improve service levels and inventory flow. This role requires a proactive leader with strong analytical and communication skills, capable of influencing cross-functional teams and mentoring talent.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Strategic Oversight

• Provide leadership and direction to the Inventory Performance Managers.
• Develop strategic initiatives to improve inventory performance and service reliability.
• Identify inventory performance gaps and create action plans for improvement.

Customer Service Level Management

• Monitor and analyze service levels across customer segments and geographies.
• Lead service level root cause analysis and corrective action planning.
• Guide the resolution of escalated customer inventory issues, including Red Alert Customers.

Inventory Level Optimization

• Direct analysis of Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) at both USBL and category levels.
• Serve at a leadership level to monitor inventory levels across customer groups to ensure stock aligns with forecasted demand and service expectations.
• Champion initiatives to reduce excess inventory while maintaining service targets.

Aged & Obsolete Inventory Management

• Supervise reporting and reduction strategies for aged and obsolete inventory.
• Ensure consistent review of inactive and slow-moving items with mitigation plans.
• Monitor and guide oversight of single-site items to reduce obsolescence risk.

Capacity Planning & Response

• Lead development and execution of reserve capacity strategies by temperature zone.
• Serve as the additional leadership point of contact for the PO Prioritization and Capacity Response process.

Demand Planning Support

• Partner with business stakeholders to advise on demand forecasting strategies.
• Validate and communicate forecast accuracy and local demand trends.
• Drive seasonal planning efforts in collaboration with local field teams.

Reporting & Collaboration

• Deliver monthly performance reports and insights to executive leadership.
• Foster strong cross-functional relationships with Sales and Operations.
• Support change management and continuous improvement through influence and collaboration.

List of Additional Role Responsibilities

In addition to all of the responsibilities and qualifications listed in the Job Profile, this role is also responsible for the following:

Strategic Leadership & Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Own end-to-end buying and material planning activities across multiple categories including raw materials, packaging materials, buying and planning.
• Align supply, inventory, and purchasing strategies with organizational goals, global initiatives, and the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Develop, implement, drive continuous improvement and coordinate with manufacturing operations to meet service levels and demand, inventory control, and planning policies, procedures, and work instructions.
• Partner cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Sales, Marketing, Finance, and Distribution Centers to optimize service levels and working capital performance.
• Support the sourcing team to negotiate and manage purchase agreements and contracts, including pricing, payment terms, service levels, quality standards, and risk mitigation.

Supply Planning, Buying & Inventory Management

• Lead demand forecasting and supply planning activities for assigned Business Units; ensure ERP system accuracy for purchasing status, lead times, and replenishment parameters.
• Monitor inventory levels, turns, and aged inventory; review 90+ day inventory and execute actions to reduce excess and obsolete inventory, including redistribution, return to vendor, or material destruction.
• Monitor cap variance on the P&L for all materials purchased.

Supplier Management & Procurement Excellence

• Develop, evaluate, and maintain a qualified supplier base; establish long-term partnerships with key suppliers and conduct regular supplier audits and performance evaluations.
• Identify, evaluate, and qualify new suppliers to support innovation, reduce costs, and improve supply chain resilience.
• Resolve procurement and supply issues such as delivery delays, quality concerns, back-orders, return-to-vendor activities, warehouse receiving discrepancies, and miss-picks to ensure continuity of operations.
• Monitor supplier performance through KPIs such as OTIF, defect rates, compliance, and cost performance.
• Negotiate and manage purchasing contracts to improve key terms including price, payment terms, delivery lead time, quality standards and after-sales service, ensure quality and mitigate risks.
• Authorize and oversee material disposition processes including Return to Vendor (RTV), Material Service Requests (MSR), and Material Destruction Authorizations in accordance with regulatory and internal controls.
• Identify and mitigate supply risks through dual sourcing, safety stock strategies, and supplier diversification.

Regulatory Compliance, Quality & Sustainability

• Maintain accurate and complete documentation for audits, quality checks, and regulatory submissions. Ensure all suppliers meet cosmetic industry standards (ISO 22716, GMP, FDA guidelines, EU regulations, etc.).
• Ensure compliance with cGMP, FDA, and internal company policies across procurement, inventory, and supplier management processes.
• Manage certification and sustainability requirements (e.g., RSPO, FSC), including supplier certification validation, documentation maintenance, and audit readiness.

Master Data Governance & Reporting

• Maintain governance over master data related to current and launch materials, suppliers, pricing, lead times, and certifications to ensure data integrity and operational effectiveness.
• Develop and publish master data error and consistency reports to ensure operational accuracy.
• Deliver monthly performance reports and insights to executive leadership.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, coach, and develop teams across supply planning, purchasing, and inventory performance.
• Establish KPIs, performance goals, and training plans to build organizational capability.
• Oversee daily activities of the team, ensuring timely ordering, warehouse coordination, supplier communication, and responsive issue resolution across Business Units.
• Guide subordinates in supplier development, price inquiry and comparison, contract signing and other work, and improve the overall professional procurement capabilities of the team.

Qualifications:

• MBA or advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 5-7 years in supply chain operations, demand planning, or inventory management, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Strong analytical skills with expertise in interpreting complex data sets.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with ability to influence at all levels.
• Proven ability to manage teams, prioritize tasks, and deliver results in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with inventory planning systems, demand forecasting tools, and data visualization platforms.

Skills:

• Experience with supply chain platforms such as SAP, JDA, Oracle, or similar.
• •Proficiency in Excel, Power BI, or other analytics tools.
• • Knowledge of foodservice or distribution industry is a plus.