{"id":3860277,"url":"https://alion.io/job/target-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2","title":"Capability Lead Planning & Inventory Management","company":{"id":3684,"name":"Target","domain":"target.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/target","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":92,"open_postings":393,"ghost_share":0.018,"stale_share":0.476,"repost_share":0.036,"time_to_fill_p50_days":9,"computed_at":"2026-11-09T06:03:00Z"}},"role":"Administrative","role_family":"Administrative","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Bengaluru, India"],"countries":["IN"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Machine Learning","optional":false},{"name":"Microsoft Excel","optional":false},{"name":"Power BI","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"SQL","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-06T09:03:09Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-06","last_verified_at":"2026-11-09T04:24:37Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"Job Summary\nCapability Lead Planning & Inventory Management is responsible for shaping demand and inventory planning strategies across multiple business areas. The role translates financial objectives, merchandising strategies, consumer demand signals, and supply chain considerations into forward-looking plans that drive sales, profitability, product availability, and inventory productivity.\nCapability Lead provides strategic direction on forecasting and inventory decisions across multiple planning horizons. This role identifies enterprise-level risks and opportunities, leads complex scenario planning, and influences senior partners across Merchandise Planning, Inventory Management, Buying, Supply Chain, Data Science, Technology, and other teams across Target India and Minneapolis.\nAs a subject matter expert, he/she leads in advancing forecasting methodologies, planning capabilities, operating models, and decision-making practices. The role drives high-impact initiatives and drives scalable improvements that strengthen Planning & Inventory Management capabilities and business performance.\nKey Responsibilities\nDevelop demand and inventory planning strategies across multiple categories or business segments.\nEstablish performance expectations and improvement strategies for Forecast Value Add, wMAPE, Bias, and other relevant planning metrics.\nOperates independently with broad decision authority and high judgment\nProvide functional leadership for forecast development, measurement, and improvement across multiple planning horizons and levels of aggregation.\nTranslate enterprise priorities, financial goals, merchandising strategies, and market signals into actionable planning directions.\nProvide a consolidated view of demand, inventory, and business performance to support strategic decisions across stores and digital channels.\nIncorporate early performance signals, short-lifecycle indicators, trend shifts, weather, and promotional response into planning and inventory decisions.\nLead scenario and sensitivity planning for significant demand shifts, constrained supply, promotions, seasonal events, assortment changes, and other critical business moments.\nEstablish planning priorities and decision frameworks that balance sales growth, profitability, availability, inventory productivity, and business risk.\nGuide the integration of statistical forecasts with promotional, seasonal, product lifecycle, financial, market, and merchandising insights.\nEvaluate forecast performance across business areas and identify systemic trends, model limitations, process gaps, and improvement opportunities.\nProvide direction to the larger team on allocation, replenishment, inventory positioning, and availability decisions.\nBusiness Analytics & Decision Support\nLead advanced analysis of sales, demand, inventory, margin, availability, forecast performance, and other key business indicators.\nSynthesize complex data and business context into clear insights, strategic recommendations, and executive-level narratives.\nIdentify systemic drivers of forecast misses, inventory imbalances, and performance gaps, and lead cross-functional resolution plans.\nEvaluate alternative business strategies using scenario analysis, financial impact assessment, and risk-based decision frameworks.\nDefine analytical approaches and performance measures that improve planning visibility and support timely decisions.\nEnsure insights are translated into actions, with clear ownership, expected outcomes, and performance tracking.\nCross-Functional & Enterprise Influence\nServe as a strategic planning advisor to senior leaders and cross-functional partners across India and Minneapolis.\nLead senior-level planning reviews and decision forums, clearly articulating business drivers, assumptions, risks, opportunities, trade-offs, and recommendations.\nInfluence alignment when financial objectives, merchandising strategies, supply chain constraints, and operational forecasts differ.\nBuild strong partnerships across Planning, Inventory Management, Supply Chain, Data Science, Technology, and capability teams.\nRepresent Planning & Inventory Management in enterprise initiatives and ensure planning perspectives are incorporated into broader business decisions.\nNavigate complex or ambiguous situations by establishing clarity, aligning stakeholders, and driving timely resolution.\nCapability Development & Functional Leadership\nServe as a subject matter expert in demand forecasting, inventory strategy, scenario planning, and planning performance management.\nEstablish standards, frameworks, tools, and best practices that strengthen planning consistency and decision quality.\nCoach and develop Planners and Associate Planners through technical guidance, business context, and structured feedback.\nBuild forecasting and analytical capabilities across the team through knowledge sharing, training, and practical application.\nProvide functional direction to project teams and planning partners, ensuring alignment with business priorities and expected outcomes.\nPromote a culture of ownership, curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.\nDefine and lead the planning capability roadmap for assigned business areas or strategic priorities.\nLead enterprise initiatives that improve forecasting methodologies, inventory planning processes, operating models, data, and technology.\nPartner with Data Science, Product, Technology, and capability teams to define and translate business requirements into scalable planning solutions.\nSponsor pilots and oversee testing, implementation, adoption, and measurement of new planning capabilities.\nIdentify opportunities to automate repetitive activities, simplify workflows, and increase planner capacity for strategic decision-making.\nEstablish change management and governance approaches that support sustained adoption of new tools and processes.\nMeasure the business impact of transformation initiatives and ensure improvements are scalable, sustainable, and aligned with enterprise priorities.\nRequired Qualifications\nEducation\nRequired: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Statistics, Economics, Business Administration, Data Science/Data Analytics, Commerce, or a related quantitative discipline.\nPreferred: MBA or postgraduate qualification in Supply Chain, Operations, Analytics, or Finance; or a relevant professional certification such as ASCM CPIM/CSCP.\nExperience\n8 to 12 years of experience in demand planning, forecasting, inventory management, merchandise planning, supply chain, or a related discipline, preferably within retail, FMCG, or consumer goods.\nDemonstrated experience leading planning strategies across multiple categories, portfolios, channels, or complex business areas.\nAdvanced expertise in demand forecasting, inventory strategy, scenario planning, and business performance analysis.\nProven ability to influence senior stakeholders, lead complex cross-functional initiatives, and drive decisions in ambiguous business environments.\nExperience developing team capabilities, coaching planning professionals, and establishing functional standards or best practices.\nDemonstrated success delivering measurable improvements in forecast performance, inventory productivity, product availability, or planning efficiency.\nReporting, Analytics & Planning Tools\nAdvanced experience with demand planning, forecasting, inventory management, or merchandise planning systems such as o9 Solutions, Blue Yonder (JDA), Kinaxis, SAP IBP, Oracle Demand Planning, or similar tools.\nStrong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience working with large and complex datasets.\nExperience with SQL and data visualization platforms such as Power BI or similar tools.\nWorking knowledge of statistical forecasting methodologies, model evaluation, and demand-sensing approaches.\nExposure to Python, R, cloud-based analytics, machine learning, or optimization tools is beneficial.\nAbility to translate technical and analytical findings into clear business recommendations for senior stakeholders.\nKey Competencies\nFunctional Competencies: Demand Planning, Advanced & Statistical Forecasting, Forecast Performance Management, Inventory Planning & Strategy, Promotional & Seasonal Planning, Product Lifecycle Planning, Allocation & Replenishment, Scenario Planning, Retail Planning, Supply Chain Management.\nAnalytical Competencies: Advanced Data Analysis, Forecast Model Evaluation, Root Cause Analysis, Scenario & Sensitivity Analysis, Trend & Pattern Analysis, Strategic Problem Solving, Business Insights and Data-Driven Decision Making.\nLeadership Competencies: Strategic Leadership, Enterprise Mindset, Ownership & Accountability, Influence without Authority, Executive Communication, Cross-Functional Leadership, Decision-Making in Ambiguity, Change Leadership, Innovation & Continuous Improvement\nSuccess Profile\nA successful Capability Lead combines advanced planning expertise, strategic thinking, and enterprise leadership to improve demand and inventory outcomes across multiple business areas. The individual anticipates emerging risks and opportunities, connects operational decisions with financial and merchandising objectives, and influences senior stakeholders toward aligned and timely action.\nHe/She operates with a high degree of independence and provides functional direction in complex or ambiguous situations. They develop planning talent, establish scalable standards, and lead transformation initiatives that improve forecast quality, product availability, inventory productivity, and organizational effectiveness. Success in this role is demonstrated through sustained business impact, stronger planning capabilities, improved cross-functional decision-making, and the ability to shape the future of Planning & Inventory Management.\nKnow More About Us here:\nLife at Target: https://india.target.com/\nBenefits: https://india.target.com/life-at-target/workplace/benefits\nCulture: https://india.target.com/life-at-target/belonging\nTarget Tech: https://tech.target.com/","description_format":"text","description_chars":10085,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Travel Technology","Retail & Shop Systems","Online Groceries"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-06T09:03:09Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":89,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.891,"p_room":1,"age_days":2,"expected_fill_days":9,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-09T06:03:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/target-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/target-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-09T08:41:21Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":7351,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-10T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3684},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3684"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Ftarget-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Ftarget-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Ftarget-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/target-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Ftarget-capability-lead-planning-inventory-management-2"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3860277}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"target.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3860277},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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