Manager - Supply Chain Forecasting & Demand
Foot Locker, New York, NY, United States
Overview
Foot Locker, Inc. is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director, Vendor Order Operations and Management to join our Supply Chain leadership team in New York City. This is a high-impact, leadership role responsible for overseeing all aspects of vendor planning order management, supply-side operations, and forecasting across Foot Locker's North America supply chain. The Senior Director will build, lead, and develop a team accountable for order planning, project management, vendor relations, and supply chain execution — ensuring that product flows from vendor to customer with speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in inventory planning, supply chain operations, and vendor management within a high-volume retail or consumer goods environment. This leader will serve as a key cross-functional partner to Merchandising, Finance, Technology, and Fulfillment, and will represent vendor order management at the executive level.
Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Management
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team responsible for order planning, supply chain forecasting, project management, vendor relations, and supply chain operations.
Set clear team goals, performance expectations, and development plans; foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Partner with HR and senior leadership to attract, retain, and grow top supply chain talent.
Serve as an executive sponsor for cross-functional supply chain initiatives, representing the vendor order management function at the VP and C-suite level.
Vendor Order Management & Relations
Own the end-to-end vendor order management lifecycle, from purchase order creation through receipt confirmation and inventory availability.
Develop and govern vendor compliance standards, on-time shipment expectations, and order accuracy requirements.
Lead strategic vendor relationship management, serving as the senior point of escalation for order fulfillment issues, capacity constraints, and supply disruptions.
Partner with other supply chain, inventory management and merchandising leaders to deliver
Drive vendor scorecarding and performance reviews, holding partners accountable to SLAs and operational benchmarks.
Supply Operations, Inventory Planning & Forecasting
Partner with Merchandising, Inventory Management and Finance to align purchase order volumes with demand forecasts, open-to-buy targets, and inventory turn objectives.
Identify and resolve supply chain bottlenecks, lead time variability, and inventory imbalances that impact product availability or fulfillment performance.
Champion data-driven inventory decision-making by establishing KPIs for in-stock rate, inventory turn, weeks of supply, and order fill rate.
Forecast available receipts to business partners and manage prioritized receipts within business budgets / forecast.
Track and communicate supply chain status for launch, key product, collections and marketing initiatives
Coordinate, communicate and prioritize POs through North America Distribution Center facilities
Create end-to-end forecast and plans that can be used across all of supply chain and inventory management to be used to optimize the flow of merchandise from purchase order to sales
Demand, supply and capacity planning, to balance the best outcome of product availability and expense management
Project Management & Strategic Initiatives
Lead large-scale supply chain transformation projects, including system implementations, process redesigns, and vendor onboarding initiatives.
Establish a structured project management framework within the team, ensuring initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
Drive continuous improvement across the vendor order management function, leveraging technology, data, and process innovation.
Cross-Functional Partnership & Executive Reporting
Serve as the primary supply chain liaison to Merchandising, Finance, Fulfillment, and Technology leadership teams.
Develop and present executive-level reporting on vendor order management performance, supply chain health, and strategic roadmap progress.
Contribute to the development of the annual supply chain strategy and long-range planning process.
Qualifications
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in supply chain, vendor order management, inventory planning, or supply operations, with at least 4 years in a senior director or equivalent leadership role.
Demonstrated expertise in inventory planning methodologies, supply chain operations, and vendor management within a retail organization
Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams across
Strong experience managing complex vendor relationships and negotiating supply agreements at scale.
Highly analytical and critical thinker who has a continuous improvement mindset
Detail orientated and ability to troubleshoot and / or investigate issues
Strong communication, time management & organizational skills
Ability to think strategically at high level while still focusing on the details
Comfortable operating in a fast‑moving and ambiguous environment, applying critical thinking to break down complex problems
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills; proven ability to influence at the VP and C-suite level.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field required.
Travel on an as needed basis, approximately 15%
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Foot Locker, Inc. is seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Director, Vendor Order Operations and Management to join our Supply Chain leadership team in New York City. This is a high-impact, leadership role responsible for overseeing all aspects of vendor planning order management, supply-side operations, and forecasting across Foot Locker's North America supply chain. The Senior Director will build, lead, and develop a team accountable for order planning, project management, vendor relations, and supply chain execution — ensuring that product flows from vendor to customer with speed, accuracy, and efficiency.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in inventory planning, supply chain operations, and vendor management within a high-volume retail or consumer goods environment. This leader will serve as a key cross-functional partner to Merchandising, Finance, Technology, and Fulfillment, and will represent vendor order management at the executive level.
Responsibilities
Leadership & Team Management
Build, lead, and develop a high-performing team responsible for order planning, supply chain forecasting, project management, vendor relations, and supply chain operations.
Set clear team goals, performance expectations, and development plans; foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Partner with HR and senior leadership to attract, retain, and grow top supply chain talent.
Serve as an executive sponsor for cross-functional supply chain initiatives, representing the vendor order management function at the VP and C-suite level.
Vendor Order Management & Relations
Own the end-to-end vendor order management lifecycle, from purchase order creation through receipt confirmation and inventory availability.
Develop and govern vendor compliance standards, on-time shipment expectations, and order accuracy requirements.
Lead strategic vendor relationship management, serving as the senior point of escalation for order fulfillment issues, capacity constraints, and supply disruptions.
Partner with other supply chain, inventory management and merchandising leaders to deliver
Drive vendor scorecarding and performance reviews, holding partners accountable to SLAs and operational benchmarks.
Supply Operations, Inventory Planning & Forecasting
Partner with Merchandising, Inventory Management and Finance to align purchase order volumes with demand forecasts, open-to-buy targets, and inventory turn objectives.
Identify and resolve supply chain bottlenecks, lead time variability, and inventory imbalances that impact product availability or fulfillment performance.
Champion data-driven inventory decision-making by establishing KPIs for in-stock rate, inventory turn, weeks of supply, and order fill rate.
Forecast available receipts to business partners and manage prioritized receipts within business budgets / forecast.
Track and communicate supply chain status for launch, key product, collections and marketing initiatives
Coordinate, communicate and prioritize POs through North America Distribution Center facilities
Create end-to-end forecast and plans that can be used across all of supply chain and inventory management to be used to optimize the flow of merchandise from purchase order to sales
Demand, supply and capacity planning, to balance the best outcome of product availability and expense management
Project Management & Strategic Initiatives
Lead large-scale supply chain transformation projects, including system implementations, process redesigns, and vendor onboarding initiatives.
Establish a structured project management framework within the team, ensuring initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget.
Drive continuous improvement across the vendor order management function, leveraging technology, data, and process innovation.
Cross-Functional Partnership & Executive Reporting
Serve as the primary supply chain liaison to Merchandising, Finance, Fulfillment, and Technology leadership teams.
Develop and present executive-level reporting on vendor order management performance, supply chain health, and strategic roadmap progress.
Contribute to the development of the annual supply chain strategy and long-range planning process.
Qualifications
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in supply chain, vendor order management, inventory planning, or supply operations, with at least 4 years in a senior director or equivalent leadership role.
Demonstrated expertise in inventory planning methodologies, supply chain operations, and vendor management within a retail organization
Proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams across
Strong experience managing complex vendor relationships and negotiating supply agreements at scale.
Highly analytical and critical thinker who has a continuous improvement mindset
Detail orientated and ability to troubleshoot and / or investigate issues
Strong communication, time management & organizational skills
Ability to think strategically at high level while still focusing on the details
Comfortable operating in a fast‑moving and ambiguous environment, applying critical thinking to break down complex problems
Exceptional executive presence and communication skills; proven ability to influence at the VP and C-suite level.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a related field required.
Travel on an as needed basis, approximately 15%
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