BUILD A BETTER CAREER WITH MSC
Serving customers and our community starts with the best people doing their best work. That is precisely what we have created at MSC Industrial Supply Co. We are a leading North American distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO), products and services. We offer more than 2 million products and have over 80 years of experience across dozens of industries. We aim to execute our Built to Make You Better brand promise for all our stakeholders, including our associates.
Requisition ID :21337
Employment Type : Full Time
Job Category : Supply Chain
Work Location : Davidson, NC (CSC)
BRIEF POSITION SUMMARY:
The Director, Inventory Strategy & Optimization is responsible for developing and executing inventory optimization strategies that improve customer service, inventory productivity, and working capital performance. This leader will serve as the business owner and strategic champion for MSC's inventory optimization capabilities within Blue Yonder, driving continuous improvement of planning parameters, optimization logic, inventory policies, and planning processes. The role will partner closely with Business Unit (BU) Category teams, Supply Chain, Logistics, Finance, Procurement, and Sales to establish differentiated inventory assortments, stocking strategies, and service-level decisions that align inventory investments with customer demand, growth priorities, and profitability objectives. This position plays a critical role in advancing MSC's network optimization strategy by ensuring inventory is positioned in the right locations, at the right quantities, and for the right customers while balancing fill rate performance, service commitments, transportation costs, and working capital productivity.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Key Responsibilities
Inventory Strategy & Optimization
- Develop and maintain enterprise inventory strategies designed to optimize working capital, inventory turns, fill rate, and service levels.
- Establish inventory policies and segmentation frameworks across Customer Fulfillment Centers (CFCs), Regional Inventory Centers (RICs), subsidiaries, and specialized inventory programs.
- Lead development and refinement of inventory stocking strategies including ABC/XYZ segmentation, service level differentiation, safety stock methodologies, and replenishment policies.
- Evaluate inventory deployment decisions across the network, balancing transportation costs, inventory investment, and customer service objectives.
- Partner with network optimization teams to align inventory placement strategies with future-state network design.
Blue Yonder System Ownership
- Serve as the primary business owner for Blue Yonder Inventory Optimization and Allocation & Replenishment capabilities.
- Lead continuous enhancement of Blue Yonder planning parameters, optimization models, planning logic, and business rules.
- Partner with IT, Blue Yonder teams, and external partners to maximize solution capabilities and business value.
- Establish governance processes for system changes, parameter management, and optimization strategy reviews.
- Drive adoption of advanced planning analytics, machine learning capabilities, and optimization tools.
- Develop a long-term roadmap for inventory planning technologies and capabilities.
Business Unit & Category Partnership
- Partner with Business Unit leaders and Category Management teams to develop inventory assortment strategies aligned to growth objectives and customer requirements.
- Evaluate inventory investment opportunities supporting strategic product categories, solutions, OEM programs, and emerging growth initiatives.
- Facilitate tradeoff discussions between service levels, inventory investments, margin requirements, and customer experience.
- Support new product introductions, assortment expansions, and inventory rationalization initiatives.
- Develop differentiated inventory strategies based on product characteristics, customer segments, and market opportunities.
Inventory Productivity & Working Capital Management
- Lead initiatives focused on improving inventory turns, reducing excess and obsolete inventory, and increasing inventory productivity.
- Establish inventory performance targets and accountability mechanisms across the organization.
- Identify opportunities to improve inventory utilization through enhanced planning processes and data-driven decision making.
- Partner with Finance to develop inventory investment models, business cases, and working capital improvement strategies.
- Support enterprise inventory recovery and inventory disposition programs.
Planning Process Excellence
- Drive continuous improvement of demand planning, supply planning, and replenishment processes.
- Support maturation of SIOP/IBP processes and inventory decision governance.
- Implement best practices for inventory management, planning, and optimization.
- Develop enterprise planning standards, metrics, and operating rhythms.
- Improve visibility to inventory risks, opportunities, and potential service impacts.
Analytics & Decision Support
- Develop data-driven frameworks to evaluate inventory decisions and business tradeoffs.
- Lead analysis of service levels, fill rates, inventory productivity, stockouts, and forecast performance.
- Build executive-level reporting and dashboards focused on inventory health and optimization opportunities.
- Utilize AI, advanced analytics, and predictive modeling capabilities to improve inventory decisions.
- Provide strategic recommendations supported by quantitative analysis and business insights.
Leadership & Talent Development
- Build and lead a high-performing inventory strategy and optimization team.
- Develop inventory planning, optimization, and analytics capabilities across the organization.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and data-driven decision making.
- Coach and mentor team members while building future inventory management talent.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in supply chain, Operations, Engineering, Business, Finance, Analytics, or related field.
- MBA or master's degree preferred
Experience
- 10+ years of progressive experience in supply chain, inventory management, planning, or network optimization.
- 5+ years of leadership experience managing teams and cross-functional initiatives.
- Deep experience with inventory optimization, replenishment, and planning systems.
- Demonstrated experience leading large-scale inventory transformation initiatives.
- Experience partnering with executive leadership and commercial organizations.
Technical Expertise
- Strong knowledge of inventory optimization methodologies and inventory segmentation strategies.
- Experience with Blue Yonder (formerly JDA) planning solutions strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of demand planning, supply planning, replenishment, and SIOP/IBP processes.
- Understanding of network design, distribution strategy, and inventory positioning concepts.
- Advanced analytical and quantitative problem-solving capabilities.
- Fosters the MSC Culture in the department and throughout the company to ensure fulfillment of MSC's vision and unity of purpose.
- Participation in special projects and performs additional duties as required
QUALIFICATIONS
What You Need:
- Experience in industrial distribution, wholesale distribution, manufacturing, or MRO environments.
- Experience implementing or optimizing Blue Yonder Inventory Optimization or Allocation & Replenishment solutions.
- Knowledge of multi-echelon inventory optimization concepts.
- Experience with advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning-driven planning solutions.
- APICS/ASCM certifications preferred.
Bonus Points If You Have:
- Strategic Thinking
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Business Acumen
- Influencing & Collaboration
- Customer Focus
- Change Leadership
- Continuous Improvement Mindset
- Executive Communication
- Talent Development
- Results Orientation
Other Requirements:
- A valid driver's license may be required.
- This position may require access to International Traffic in Arms Regulations Information (“ITAR”) and/or Controlled Unclassified Information (“CUI”)
Compensation starting at $132160 - $207680 depending on candidate location and experience.
The salary range represented is based on similar roles in comparable industries, and the cost of labor in respective cities. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's relevant experience, education requirements and peer pay equity. The Company reserves the right to modify the range as market conditions change.
Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa for this position at this time.
This job posting will remain open for a minimum of 3 business days from the original posting date or longer as needed to fill the position.
WHY MSC?
People. Collaboration. Insight. That's how you build something that works. Built on a foundation of trust, MSC works side by side with our customers to help them drive business results. With more than one million product offerings and 80+ years of experience across industries, MSC strives to help our customers achieve greater productivity, profitability, and growth through inventory management and other innovative supply chain solutions. We care about our associates and have programs in place to help our 6,500+ team members achieve their potential.
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
Our associates are our top priority and investing in their well-being is one way we execute our Built to Make You Better brand promise. Alongside competitive pay, we have a comprehensive benefits program to support you and your family's health, well-being and financial future. We offer dynamic healthcare plans, generous 401K and stock purchasing programs, tuition reimbursement opportunities, and paid time away for holidays, vacations, and illness. Visit our page for a better look at our extensive benefits: Your Future Benefits.
You will also have the opportunity to join our Associate Inclusion Circles: Women, Pride, Black, Generational, Veterans, HOLA, and Able. These circles are open to all associates and are designed to promote awareness, collaboration, and respect.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT
At MSC, we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all qualified applicants and our associates without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or any category protected by applicable law. Accommodation requests can be made at any stage of the recruitment process; applicants are asked to make their needs/requirements known.
Please note that MSC uses electronic monitoring and system logs in its workplace, including monitoring of Company-provided systems and collaboration tools, as permitted by applicable law.
