Senior Director of Merchandise Planning & Allocation

About the job

About the Role

Lola Blankets is a fast-growing comfort and lifestyle brand on a mission to make the world a cozier place. We are seeking an entrepreneurial and highly strategic Senior Director of Merchandise Planning & Allocation (MP&A) to lead the company's inventory planning and allocation function through its next stage of growth.

This role will be responsible for translating business strategy, customer demand, and product plans into disciplined inventory and investment strategies across a growing, multi-category, multi-channel business. The Senior Director will partner closely with Merchandising to build seasonal line plans, shape pricing and margin architecture, evaluate long-range forecasts, and ensure inventory investments support both growth and profitability.

The ideal candidate brings deep MP&A expertise from a fast-growing DTC environment and is equally comfortable operating at the strategic level and diving into the details of the business. They will be a trusted thought partner to senior leadership, bringing a data-driven perspective while balancing customer demand, inventory productivity, cash investment, and operational realities.

This is a highly collaborative role that requires strong executive presence, the ability to influence, and a proactive, entrepreneurial approach to problem solving.

Core Responsibilities

Merchandise Planning & Inventory Strategy

• Lead the Planning & Allocation function across Lola's growing multi-category, multi-channel business.

• Establish planning frameworks, processes, and financial targets that enable the business to scale with discipline.

• Partner with Merchandising to develop seasonal and annual line plans, including category, channel, product, and inventory investment strategies.

• Translate sales, margin, inventory, and customer objectives into actionable merchandise plans.

• Advise Merchandising and senior leadership on retail pricing, margin architecture, inventory investment, and assortment productivity.

• Establish and monitor key planning metrics, including sales, margin, inventory turns, weeks of supply, sell-through, and in-stock rates.

Forecasting & Long-Range Strategy

• Lead evaluation and refinement of demand forecasts across categories and channels.

• Develop long-range inventory and financial strategies that support product roadmaps, category expansion, and overall business growth.

• Partner with Merchandising to evaluate the inventory implications of new product launches, category extensions, and assortment changes.

• Identify demand risks and opportunities early and translate them into clear recommendations for leadership.

• Balance forecast accuracy with appropriate levels of risk-taking to support an entrepreneurial, high-growth business.

Allocation & Inventory Optimization

• Oversee allocation strategies to ensure inventory is positioned appropriately across owned retail, ecommerce, wholesale, and other channels.

• Establish principles for initial allocation, replenishment, transfers, and inventory rebalancing.

• Optimize inventory placement to maximize sales and customer availability while minimizing excess and aged inventory.

• Partner with Operations and Production to align inventory deployment with inbound timing, capacity, and supply constraints.

• Continuously improve inventory productivity and capital efficiency across the business.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner closely with Merchandising to shape assortment strategies and seasonal line plans.

• Collaborate with Design, Product Development, and Sourcing to incorporate product development timelines and launch strategies into inventory plans.

• Partner with Finance to align merchandise plans with company financial targets, budgets, and cash flow objectives.

• Work with Operations and Production to ensure inventory plans are executable and aligned with supply capabilities.

• Collaborate with Marketing and Retail leadership to incorporate promotional calendars, campaigns, store openings, and other demand drivers into forecasts and inventory strategies.

Business Performance & Executive Leadership

• Lead regular business reviews, providing senior leadership with clear insights into performance, risks, and opportunities.

• Develop recommendations to accelerate sales, improve inventory productivity, manage lifecycle transitions, or adjust investment levels.

• Establish a strong culture of accountability, analytical rigor, and proactive problem solving within the MP&A organization.

• Build consensus across functions while constructively challenging assumptions and advocating for the best business outcome.

• Serve as a strategic voice in decisions regarding category growth, product launches, channel expansion, and inventory investment.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, develop, and mentor a high-performing team within the Planning and Allocation function.

• Establish clear roles, processes, performance expectations, and development plans for the team.

• Build scalable planning capabilities, tools, and processes that evolve with Lola's growth.

• Identify opportunities to improve systems, forecasting methodologies, reporting, and analytical capabilities.

This role will report to the Head of Product and Merchandising and is based in our office in Brooklyn (3 days per week). Candidates open to relocation are encouraged to apply.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of proven experience leading MP&A at a fast-growing, multi-category, multi-channel DTC brand

• Deep expertise in merchandise financial planning, demand forecasting, inventory optimization, allocation, and replenishment.

• Experience developing long-range merchandise strategies and evaluating product/category roadmaps.

• Strong financial and analytical acumen with the ability to translate complex data into clear business recommendations.

• Exceptional executive communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build consensus across senior stakeholders.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias toward action and a willingness to operate hands-on when needed.

• Highly proactive, solutions-oriented, and comfortable operating in an evolving organization with limited precedent.

• Experience with ERP and/or demand planning systems; experience implementing or optimizing planning technology is a plus.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Merchandising, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.

What We Offer

• Competitive base salary and annual bonus based on company and individual performance

• 21 days paid vacation + all federal holidays

• Full health benefits (health, dental, vision, mental)

• 16 weeks paid birth parent leave; 8 weeks non-birth parent leave

• 55% off Lola Blankets for friends and family

• Opportunities for career growth within Lola Blankets

• An opportunity to make a direct impact on a high-growth, design-forward brand

• A collaborative, passionate, and purpose-driven team