Director of Planning | Poppy & Peonies

• Own the end-to-end demand forecasting process across all product categories, sales channels, and markets.

• Develop and maintain rolling demand forecasts at the SKU, category, channel, and distribution center levels.

• Partner with Merchandising, Marketing, and eCommerce to incorporate product launches, promotional activities, seasonality, marketing investments, and business growth assumptions into forecasts.

• Lead forecast reviews, analyze actual performance against projections, identify demand trends, and continuously improve forecast accuracy.

• Develop forecasting methodologies for new product introductions, core replenishment products, and seasonal collections.

• Identify demand risks and opportunities early and recommend actions to optimize sales and inventory performance.

• Translate demand forecasts into actionable supply and purchasing plans, considering inventory on hand, open purchase orders, production lead times, transportation lead times, and safety stock requirements.

• Own the inventory purchasing plan and recommend purchase order quantities, timing, and replenishment strategies.

• Partner with Global Sourcing and suppliers to align production capacity, lead times, and delivery schedules with business requirements.

• Support new product launches by ensuring purchase orders and inventory availability align with launch milestones.

• Proactively identify supply constraints, potential shortages, and excess inventory risks, developing mitigation plans in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

• Balance product availability with inventory investment and working capital objectives.

• Develop and execute inventory strategies across multiple distribution centers in Canada and the US.

• Establish and manage inventory targets, safety stock policies, and SKU classifications based on demand patterns, product lifecycle, and business priorities.

• Monitor weeks of supply (WOS), inventory turns, stock availability, and aging inventory.

• Recommend inventory allocation and replenishment strategies across markets and distribution centers.

• Identify slow-moving and excess inventory and work with Merchandising and Marketing on appropriate actions.

• Optimize inventory positioning to improve service levels while minimizing carrying costs, transfers, and markdown exposure.

• Design, implement, and lead a structured monthly S&OP process, integrating commercial demand, supply capabilities, inventory investment, and financial objectives.

• Facilitate cross-functional planning discussions and drive alignment on a single, consensus-based operating plan.

• Partner with Finance to reconcile sales forecasts, inventory purchases, open-to-buy (OTB) plans, and financial targets.

• Provide leadership with clear visibility into demand and supply risks, inventory requirements, and key business trade-offs.

• Develop scenario planning capabilities to support business decisions related to growth, promotions, product launches, and supply disruptions.

• Establish clear planning cadences, accountability, and decision-making processes.

• Partner with Product Development, Merchandising, and Sourcing to support seasonal assortment planning and new product introductions.

• Develop initial demand forecasts and inventory buy recommendations for new collections based on historical performance, comparable products, and commercial assumptions.

• Align purchasing decisions with product development milestones, supplier lead times, and launch dates.

• Monitor launch performance and recommend inventory reallocation, replenishment, or exit strategies.

• Manage inventory planning throughout the product lifecycle, including introduction, growth, replenishment, and end-of-life.

• Build scalable planning processes, reporting tools, and performance dashboards.

• Improve data quality, forecasting methodologies, and planning visibility across functions.

• Identify opportunities to automate manual planning activities and improve decision-making through systems and analytics.

• Develop standardized planning metrics, reporting cadences, and exception-management processes.

• Partner with Finance, Operations, and Technology to strengthen planning tools and data integration.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Planning team, establishing clear responsibilities, performance expectations, and development plans.

• Build a collaborative, accountable, and data-driven planning culture.

• Serve as the primary planning partner to Merchandising, Marketing, Finance, Product Development, Global Sourcing, and Operations.

• Communicate complex planning information clearly and translate analysis into practical business recommendations.

• Drive cross-functional alignment and ensure timely decisions to support business priorities.

• Experience in a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business with frequent seasonal product launches.

• Experience managing inventory across multiple countries, distribution centers, and sales channels.

• Knowledge of international sourcing, manufacturing lead times, and ocean freight logistics.

• Experience with Shopify, WMS, and business intelligence or planning tools.

Like Bloom, Poppy & Peonies is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equitable employment practices and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status.

We’re looking for motivated, compassionate people who are excited to contribute, grow with the team, and support the values that Poppy & Peonies believes in.

Poppy & Peonies is committed to developing an inclusive, barrier-free recruitment process and work environment. Please inform us if you require any accommodation, and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs. Requests for any accessibility-related assistance can be made to sarah@buildwithbloom.com.

We believe transparency matters, especially as technology evolves.

At Bloom, we may leverage AI as a supportive tool when developing role descriptions, interview questions, take home assignments, and interview guides, where appropriate, with the goal of improving clarity, consistency, and accessibility for candidates. However, we do not use AI to source, assess, screen, or interview candidates. Every application is reviewed by a human, every interview is conducted by a human, and all hiring decisions are made by people, not automated systems. Human judgment, care, and accountability are central to how we hire.

About Bloom

Bloom is a full-service workplace design consultancy representing Poppy & Peonies at they build their team. As Talent Advisors, we will be the liaison between our Bloom Partner and yourself during this recruitment process. We do not use fancy tech to search through resumes at Bloom; every resume is reviewed by a human to ensure that we attain a consistent and equitable interview process. You will directly join our client’s team if you are selected as the successful candidate. We look forward to seeing your application!