DIRECTOR OF PLANNING-Babies R Us

Fully accountable for the Planning & Allocation of BRU Division. Pre-season, partner with DMM to establish and gain consensus on Division P&L for season-in line with Financial Guideline plans. In-season, partner with DMM to manage every aspect of merchandise planning, sales forecasting, open-to-buy (OTB) and inventory management to achieve Division financial objectives and broader corporate objectives. Support BRU store locations and the needs of new channels and growth ventures.  Partner with the Local Markets team to ensure appropriate inventory allocation and flow strategies to meet local market needs. Support Growth Ventures teams in developing and growing new channels and business opportunities. Lead team of Planning & Allocation professionals with direct supervision Managers. Actively participate in department hiring, training, performance review boards, and lead individual staff development and action planning to ensure that P&A team continues to build bench strength and to balance skill sets across teams - and to provide each team member the opportunity to succeed and advance. Ensure effective capacity management in partnership with Logistics, Store Operations and Sales & Operations Planning teams. Balance flow within Division to avoid unnecessary fluctuations in flow. Work across Divisions to ensure total flow does not exceed DC and/or store capacity. Establish accurate flow plans and keep Logistics partners informed on flow projections via S&OP. Partner with Vendors and with Merchant and Logistics teams to enhance ¿end-to-end¿ Supply Chain Management. Actively seek opportunities to leverage new capabilities such as CPFR, VMI, GFS and home delivery to drive sales and enhance guest delight-while reducing inventory risk and cost-to-serve. Support Assortment Planning process to maximize productivity of assets. Lead and champion strategic initiatives that impact future performance Lead strategic P&A initiatives to build functional capabilities - defining new processes and creating innovative solutions to critical business issues Champion staff development and team building initiatives Actively participate in key MT release(s) to impact the development and implementation of new tools, processes and policies. Requirements: Strong management and communication skills 5-7 years experience in an retail environment  Experienced Planning & Allocation Professional. Proven planning & allocation professional with experience managing diverse businesses, preferably across Divisions. Replenishment-driven merchandise flow experience helpful. Broad Supply Chain Background. Brings broad business experience base and knowledge in related functions, e.g., Local Markets, Growth Ventures, S&OP, Logistics, Merchandising, Store Operations.