Director of Planning

Location: New York, NY

We're looking for a Director of Planning to own demand forecasting, inventory strategy, and planning operations as Nécessaire scales. This role goes beyond traditional merchandise planning, it's for a strategic operator who builds the systems, processes, and team that shapes the business plan for commercial leaders to execute with precision. You'll shape how we forecast, how we invest in inventory, and how AI and emerging tools change what's possible in planning.

The ideal candidate combines sharp commercial judgment with a hands-on, systems-oriented mindset, and has the leadership presence to align Commercial, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Supply Chain around a shared view of demand and risk. They're motivated by building scalable infrastructure, not just producing a forecast.

This role reports into senior leadership and will be a key voice in inventory strategy, financial planning, and operational decision-making across the business. We operate in a hybrid capacity and work in the office, Tuesday–Thursday.

What you'll do

Strategic planning and forecasting

• Own demand forecasting and inventory strategy across DTC, Amazon, wholesale, and emerging channels, balancing growth, inventory health, and working capital
• Lead monthly SIOP and OTB processes, setting the agenda and driving alignment across Commercial, Marketing, Operations, and Finance leadership
• Set the forecasting methodology and inventory strategy for new launches, promotions, and assortment changes, partnering directly with Product Marketing and Commercial leadership
• Translate channel and SKU trends into strategic recommendations for leadership, monitoring inventory health, WOS, service levels, and stock risk at a portfolio level

Systems, process, and team building

• Build and own the planning function's infrastructure, tools, dashboards, and reporting cadences, and evolve them as the business scales
• Set the roadmap for automation and AI-enabled forecasting, identifying where predictive analytics and emerging tools can materially improve accuracy and speed
• Establish planning methodologies and operating rhythms that scale with the business, including documentation, training, and process governance
• Build, manage, and develop a planning team as the function grows

Cross-functional and executive leadership

• Serve as a key cross-functional partner to Operations, Supply Chain, and Commercial leadership, translating business objectives into aligned production, purchasing, and inventory investment plans
• Partner with Finance on forecasting assumptions, inventory investment decisions, and scenario planning at the P&L level
• Own the communication of planning risks, tradeoffs, and recommendations to executive leadership, translating complex analysis into clear business decisions
• Represent planning in leadership forums, bringing a point of view on where the business should invest, pull back, or move faster

What we're looking for

• 10+ years in planning, forecasting, analytics, operations, consulting, finance, or strategy, with prior experience owning a planning function or team
• Experience in consumer, retail, e-commerce, marketplace, or CPG environments strongly preferred
• Omnichannel experience across DTC, Amazon, and wholesale required
• Track record of building planning infrastructure and processes from the ground up in a fast-growing business
• Advanced Excel/Sheets fluency; experience with BI tools, forecasting platforms, or AI-enabled workflows required
• Experience managing or developing a team, or a clear point of view on how to build one
• Executive-level communicator, equally credible presenting to leadership and working hands-on in the data
• Strategic thinker who is also genuinely energized by the details of how forecasting and planning actually work

Salary Range $150,000–$175,000

What success looks like

Forecasting is materially more accurate and less manual. Inventory decisions are proactive and grounded in a clear view of risk. Leadership has real-time visibility into where the business stands and where it's headed. Planning is a strategic function that shapes decisions, not just a reporting exercise, and the team behind it is built to scale with the business.