Inventory and Demand Planning Analyst

Learning Resources

  • Vernon Hills, IL
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 month ago
About our family of companies:We are on a mission to bring learning to life! At our family of companies, Learning Resources®, Educational Insights, and hand2mind, we create a unique range of toys, educational products and supplemental curriculum trusted by teachers and loved by families alike. Voted among the Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces for the last four consecutive years, we are a 350-person strong, family-owned organization dedicated to helping kids succeed in school and develop a love of learning. In addition to high-quality, hands-on products like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we make award-winning toys, including top sellers such as the Pretend & Play® Cash Register, the Farmer’s Market Color Sorting Set and Toy of the Year winner Botley® the Coding Robot as well as Educational Insights top sellers Kanoodle®, GeoSafari® Jr. series, and Playfoam™. We pride ourselves on being committed to our employee’s personal and professional development, a thriving culture and a diverse, creative atmosphere. Along with our culture and competitive benefits package, we offer opportunities for training and development by Harvard and UCLA professors as well as in-demand, motivating external speakers. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you’ll come join our award-winning team today!Team & Position Description:We are currently seeking a Inventory & Demand Planning Analyst to join our Demand & Production Planning team! Here’s what makes this team awesome: We are standing up new innovative dynamic reporting and leveraging the analytical platform to measure performance with KPIs and tell the story with visualizations. We balance statistical modeling and Machine Learning with cross functional input to create demand forecasts and production orders while mitigating the risk of excess. We work cross functionally across the organization and develop strategic relationships with key customers to drive production order and inventory and balancing decisions.What you’ll do day to day:
  • Create annual sales budget for the business unit and track performance through monthly reporting.
  • Create and maintain Finished Good and Component level inventory exposure reporting assigning publisher’s liability for excess and obsolescence
  • Scenario planning around state adoptions and impact on multiple publishers
  • Performs what-if analysis on large opportunities across shared items
  • Assist in review of business opportunities to determine long-range sales and profit scenarios to be used in customer negotiations
  • Assist in producing ad-hoc customer-facing data analysis/reports as required (e.g., large order throughput and impact analysis; forecast risk analysis, etc.)
What we’re looking for (Key Performance Objectives):
  • Develop customer Finished Good Kit inventory exposure (including credit redemption timing) reporting within first 3 months based on customer contracts
  • Develop customer component inventory exposure reporting within first 4 months based on customer contracts
  • Leverage a combination of analytical tools to stand up publisher gross profit dollars and sales margin % reporting in first 6 months
  • Create dynamic sales revenue forecasts through collaborative calls with customers and internal consensus processes while measuring performance to improve accuracy within the first year
Requirements/Ideal Attributes:
  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Statistics, or a related field
  • Experience: 1-3 years of experience in inventory management, financial analysis, or related field.
  • Analytical Skills: Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret financial data, perform complex analyses, and turn data into actionable insights.
  • Technical Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in Excel and familiarity with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI). Experience with statistical software or programming languages (e.g., SQL, R, Python) is a plus.
  • Problem-Solving: Proactive problem solver with a strategic mindset, capable of thinking creatively to overcome challenges and optimize business opportunities.
We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.Please note: This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.

Learning Resources