Career Opportunity
Allocator
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Company Description
At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those in which we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion, and fairness for all. We foster a culture of inclusion through: Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration.
Position Overview
The Allocation Specialist will manage all aspects of allocation of product and retail analysis. This role is responsible for executing initial allocations and replenishment of stock to stores, ensuring allocation and distribution plans support the financial objectives of the total division.
The Allocation Specialist also provides data analysis and insights to the Planning team, including allocation analysis (weeks of supply, service levels, etc.), sales to stock analysis, and overall reporting.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Operations/Financial
- Responsible for preparation and analysis for business Reviews
- Support planning teams with store, product and size analysis
- Participate in super season buy reviews, hindsights, in-season performance and any go forward strategies
- Partner with Buying and Planning teams to formulate and implement strategies to drive sales
- Drive financial success of a product group by leveraging forecast capabilities in allocation tool to ensure appropriate inventory is allocated to stores to meet or exceed sales, gross profit, and inventory turn goals
- Analyzing, tracking and monitoring Distribution Center (DC) and Store available inventory for the product group, maximizing WOS, sales to stock ratios, turn and sell through
- Execute the release of initial product distributions and in season replenishment to stores
- Monitor sales, sell through and WOS to ensure full size availability of best sellers are in stores
- Partner with cross functional teams to ensure timely and accurate execution of new store openings
- UDF (Unit Distribution Flow) Preparation by partnering with Control Tower to provide a weekly/monthly/year view for finance/ DC operations/ Store operations scheduling inbound
- Build divisional sub department monthly BOP targets that tie to topline UDF
- Review weekly to ensure on target to achieve
Forecast Analysis and Review
- Develop and implement allocation strategies for seasonal product and peak selling periods that support style selling trends and optimize available inventory
- Recommend buy quantities/store distribution based on APS and WOS. Collaborate to determine minimum/maximum quantities for lower volume stores - Preseason/Inseason
- Analyze and recap style/color/size selling trends across the various store attribute filters (destination, climate, alpha, district) pre and post season
- Generate store reports weekly and monthly (including: in stock report, key item recaps, etc.) and make recommendations based on analysis
- Create appropriate size breaks by product category to support selling
- Execute pre-pack optimization strategies
Inventory Management
- Ensure the financial success of one or more departments by meeting or exceeding sales, gross margin, gross margin return on investment (GMROI) and inventory turn goals
- Utilize current systems to monitor basic and fashion allocations to support financial goals
- Monitor allocations to the Unit Distribution Forecast (UDF) provided to ensure no substantial variances to initial forecast while partnering with Control Tower
- Effectively communicate outages in inventory within the fleet as well as the status of inventory within the distribution center
- Effectively communicate the intended allocation strategy
Communications/Relationships
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships within cross-functional team (stores, buying, planning, marketing, visual, etc.)
- Communicate initial release and replenishment strategies within cross functional team
- Participate in cross functional meetings, contributing input on distribution and/ or trading strategies
- Compose and deliver key trading messages to the wider business.
- Manage communication regarding inventory/replenishment
- Visit stores to gain insight to performance and availability
Experience, Skills & Knowledge
- Preferred but not required - Experience using the following systems: IA and JDA Allocation Systems, Global and Retail Insight, Island Pacific, Relate, GFE+, GBIS - Global reporting tool
- Proficient in retail math
- Strong organizational skills, detail-oriented, focused on accuracy,
- Strong project management skills: ability to prioritize tasks, manage time to meet deadlines
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Microsoft Office Suite skills including exceptional excel skills
- Ability to quickly learn technical applications
- Effectively and clearly communicates by leveraging strong listening, written and oral communication skills
- Able to build and maintain productive relationships within team and cross-functional teams
- Flexible and adaptable to change
