Melin Operations Planning Manager

Who We Are:

At melin we set out to create the most premium, highest quality headwear in the world. We believe that with more thought, time and care invested into how we make our products that we can extend the life of our hats and the adventures we take them on. We are looking to expand our internal family and are seeking one incredible human capable of excellence in a fast-paced work environment and eager to join an elite, yet small team of “A Players”. 

About The Role:

The melin Operations Planning Manager will manage the end-to-end planning and inventory management functions, supporting all business channels in a high-growth environment. The Operations Planning Manager will collaborate closely with executive leadership, internal business channel leaders, and production and factory partners to ensure demand needs are covered.  The Operations Planning Manager is charged with keeping the pulse of the business and will continually monitor, review, and report trends and translate data into actionable insights. 

In addition to planning, the role is tasked with translating data and insights into timely and efficient procurement plans, maintaining in-system documents and master data elements to reflect an accurate supply view, and developing and maintaining key visibility and reporting tools.

In summary, the Operations Planning Manager is directly responsible for the execution of the central planning functions (Demand & Supply), will lead purchasing and inventory management including developing and reporting key metrics, and guiding the organization through weekly and monthly inventory review and purchasing sessions.  

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Demand Planning: Lead the organizational forecasting effort including defining forecast inputs and organizational deliverables and deadlines.  Work collaboratively to develop tools to support demand capture, data reporting and visualization, tracking to plans, and executive review.  Additional taskings will include:

• Support sell-through reporting and share-out/internal socialization of sales by channel.


• Support financial forecasting.


• Identify and communicate gaps to plans and work to mitigate accordingly.


• Support seasonal product line development with data / reporting inputs helpful to guiding product decisions.


• Support launch efforts for capsule releases.


• Attend departmental meetings including marketing, sales and product development to capture updates and changes to strategy that might impact demand or supply requirements; take actions to optimize supply chain to plans as appropriate.


• Drive forward-looking merchandising strategies based on analysis of existing line plan and business decisions.


• Act as the internal bulk management steward; own inventory bulk management (reserve inventory) positions for ecommerce and owned-retail, and build tracking mechanisms to ensure other business channels are leveraging system procedures appropriately.

Procurement: Manage supply-side planning, status reporting, and execution tasks related to inventory.  Maintain key business dashboards and lead weekly internal inventory alignment forum with executive audience.  Additional taskings will include:

• Develop mechanisms to manage and monitor inventory positions in alignment with sales forecasts, budgets and cash flow requirements for the business as set by executive management.


• Create and maintain Purchase Order documents and support master data elements, ensuring system costs, purchase prices, SKU-level availability dates/codes, and PO ETA dates are accurately maintained.


• Review weekly factory production status reports and react as required to ensure adequate and optimal supply levels.


• Collaborate with Product and Production teams to ensure orders are placed with suppliers on time, and dates and costs are confirmed and accurate. Own the accuracy of system data.

Supply Planning and Inventory Management: Manage supply-side planning, status reporting, and execution tasks related to inventory.  Maintain key business dashboards and lead weekly internal inventory alignment forum with executive audience.  Additional taskings will include:

• Build and maintain inventory reporting tools to support real time on-demand query of stock positions, order book positions, and availability.


• Provide guidance for factory exit instructions including optimal inbound routing instructions for hand-off to logistics.


• Track monthly air-freight utilization for budget control.


• Develop and communicate plans for Phase-in/Phase-out, proactively monitoring long inventory positions and leading the initiation of action plans.


• Ensure inventory status flags within systems are coded to support organizational alignment and ease of reporting (“merch code” assignment and maintenance).


• Work with Operations teammates and 3PL contacts to ensure system inventory positions are accurate.


• Provide support for accounting inquiries and annual audit activities.

Key Performance Measures: Maintain and socialize inventory and planning metrics to include:

• PO’s placement vs Planned Buy Date.


• Freight net expense to target by channel (% net sale).


• Turn Ratios (30, 60, 90 trailing).


• Days Sales On-hand reports.


• Future inventory position projection reports.


• Merch Code metrics (% rev by code, long/aged inventory by code by channel).


• GTM support and launch actualization: Monthly Production and Inbound tracking insights, including track to original forecasts by channel.

Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications, Skills, Experience:

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in a business or engineering discipline.

Experience:

• Demonstrated career progression in a related operations planning discipline for the last 5-7 years.


• Formal direct experience within both Demand and Supply planning domains, DTC fulfillment and shipping, and sales operations a must.


• Working knowledge of Order-to-Cash and Procure-to-Pay process flows.

Skills:

• Excellent verbal, written and presentation communication skills, including leading and facilitating meetings with an executive audience.


• Excellent interpersonal, collaboration and organizational skills a must.


• Ability to analyze data, share information in a variety of mediums, and ability to incorporate information in decision making and communications.


• Strong systems aptitude, including ERP, WMS, etc.


• Proficiency in MS Office, Full Circle, DOMO is preferred.


• Enjoy working in a fast paced, high growth environment.


• Ability to work independently and as part of team.

Location & Office Structure: This is an in-office hybrid position, mandatory 4 days per week in office in San Clemente, with the option to work from home 1 day per week.  Subject to change without notice as per company guidelines. This position will require you to travel domestically and internationally from time to time.

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $80,000 to $110,000 plus opportunity for annual bonus; salary is based on the experience that you bring to the position.

Benefits and Perks:

• Generous product gift program and all brand discounts


• 5 year and 10 year Anniversary gifts and travel to desirable destinations, in accordance with plan guidelines


• Wellness program


• Medical, Dental, Vision insurance in accordance with plan guidelines


• Company paid life insurance


• 401k with employer match in accordance with plan guidelines


• 15 Days of PTO plus one additional day of PTO every year on your anniversary and 3 Floating Holidays per year


• Paid beach and giveback days, bi annual team building events and other in person celebrations


• Work with talented and great people who share a love of melin


• Dog friendly office

Archipelago Companies values a diverse, inclusive, and entrepreneurial workforce and culture, and we provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. All qualified applicants for employment will be considered without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws. If you are unable to submit your application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at [email protected]. Archipelago will reasonably accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities to the extent required by applicable law.