Inventory Planner

Staples is business to business. You’re what binds us together.

Join a team where thoughtful planning, strong partnerships, and data-driven decisions help keep the right products available for our customers. As an Inventory/Merchandise Planner, you will have the opportunity to influence business-critical decisions, collaborate across the Supply Chain, and work directly with leading vendor partners.

Team Summary

The Merchandise Planning & Inventory Management team connects merchandising, inventory management, supply chain partners, and external vendors to align sales forecasts, product availability, inventory productivity, margin, and service-level objectives. The team supports key product launches, promotional activity, seasonal inventory builds, and large customer onboarding while helping the business respond to changing trends and demand.

Role Summary

The Inventory/Merchandise Planner creates, maintains, and presents period and annual sales forecasts for assigned categories at both the item level and the broader department and vendor levels. This role develops analytical plans that keep Merchandising and Inventory Management aligned to achieve or exceed sales, inventory turn, margin, and service-level objectives. You will drive strategic alignment among multiple stakeholders and partner closely with external vendors such as HP, 3M, and Georgia Pacific, gaining meaningful exposure to high-impact business decisions.

What you’ll be doing

• Use planning tools to forecast department- and vendor-level on-hand inventory dollars and inventory turns, supporting achievement of budgeted goals.
• Create department- and vendor-level sales and margin plans by analyzing trends and incorporating promotions, seasonality, and other incremental activity.
• Use key-item planning tools to forecast demand and supply requirements for core items.
• Provide vendor partners with future purchase guidance based on forecasted demand.
• Build and maintain effective vendor relationships and serve as the primary contact for the total inventory team.
• Manage inactive inventory and partner with merchants on product disposition, including returns and appropriate markdowns.
• Forecast advertising and seasonal promotions, recommending product offers that maximize sales and margin while minimizing residual inventory.
• Conduct ad hoc analysis and model scenarios involving assortment, price, cost, and demand to recommend profitable courses of action.
• Partner with supply chain colleagues to improve efficiency through inventory policy.
• Work with inventory analysts to reduce out-of-stocks and identify targeted opportunities to improve service levels.
• Help reduce key supplier lead times to warehouses and fulfillment centers while improving reliability.
• Develop creative ideas that optimize inventory, increase turns, and maintain high service levels.

What you bring to the table

• A flexible, detail-oriented approach supported by strong planning and organizational skills.
• Demonstrated analytical thinking and problem-solving ability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to build productive partnerships, collaborate across functions, and influence stakeholders.
• A business-focused mindset with the ability to translate data, trends, and scenarios into clear recommendations.

What’s needed- Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree.
• 2+ years of related work experience, or an advanced degree with slightly fewer years of experience.
• Proficiency with data analysis tools, including Excel and Access, to perform statistical analysis.

What’s needed- Preferred Qualifications

• Strong inventory management experience, with an emphasis on financial and item-level analysis and planning.
• Experience with SQL, MicroStrategy, or related data-mining tools.
• Experience with supply chain planning and inventory management systems such as E3, JDA, or Evant.
• Proven ability to create partnerships and influence others.

We Offer

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• 22 days of PTO and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays + 1 floating holiday)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.

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