PURPOSE & OVERALL RELEVANCE FOR THE ORGANIZATION

The Inventory Management Manager is responsible for end-to-end inventory governance across MW business, ensuring healthy inventory structure, efficient stock flow, and strong alignment between sell-in orders and sell-out performance.

This role acts as the critical bridge between Merchandise Operations, Business Planning, and Product Sales teams, integrating sell-in phasing, sell-out consumption, and cross-channel inventory balancing to optimize inventory productivity and mitigate stock risks.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Sell-In Inventory Monitoring & Governance

• Monitor MW branch/stores sell-in inventory levels by season, category, and aging structure.
• Identify over-buy and under-buy risks and provide early warning signals.
• Track inventory structure health and recommend corrective actions.
• Ensure visibility of inventory exposure across the MW business.

2. Sell-In & Sell-Out Integration (Business Planning Interface)

• Align sell-in order phasing with sell-out forecast in partnership with Business Planning.
• Monitor gap between sell-in booking and sell-out consumption.
• Integrate call-off ratio and trading cadence into inventory monitoring framework.
• Provide scenario simulation and inventory impact analysis to support planning decisions.

3. Cross-Channel Inventory Management

• Monitor inventory water levels across channels and recommend stock balancing actions.
• Drive cross-channel stock reallocation based on business opportunities and sell-through performance.
• Optimize inventory deployment to maximize productivity and reduce aged stock risk.

4. Inventory Flow & Transfer Governance

• Lead regular stock in/out planning and relocation governance.
• Define transfer priority logic and monitor execution effectiveness.
• Ensure healthy weeks of cover across clusters and regions.
• Track aging exposure and define exit strategy recommendations.

5. Product Sales (PS) Collaboration

• Review monthly top sell-in products and analyze performance in MW stores.
• Translate sell-in highlights into actionable trading recommendations.
• Provide visibility on customer buying structure and associated inventory risks.
• Partner with PS team to ensure sell-in decisions are supported by healthy inventory flow.

6. Reporting & Inventory Visibility

• Develop monthly inventory flow and turnover reports.
• Build aging exposure dashboard and inventory health index.
• Provide structured management reporting to support commercial decision-making.
• Continuously enhance reporting tools and data transparency.

SUCCESS METRICS

• Inventory turn improvement and healthy weeks of cover.
• Reduction of aged stock exposure.
• Sell-in vs sell-out alignment ratio.
• Cross-channel inventory efficiency.
• Stock transfer cycle time and effectiveness.
• Inventory risk reduction and visibility quality.

KEY COLLABORATION PARTNERS

• Business Planning – sell-out forecast alignment and integration.
• Product Sales (PS) – sell-in structure and customer buying analysis.
• Merchandise Allocation Team – trading and replenishment coordination.
• DP & SCM & Logistics – stock flow and transfer execution.
• Finance – inventory valuation and risk control.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 6–8 years of experience in inventory management, merchandise planning, or retail operations.
• Strong understanding of retail inventory economics and stock flow dynamics.
• Advanced analytical skills with strong Excel and reporting capability.
• Ability to integrate sell-in and sell-out planning perspectives.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional influencing skills.
• Structured thinking with strong commercial judgment.