Manager, Inventory & Supply Planning

We are seeking a results-driven Manager to lead inventory and supply planning for technical spare parts, driving measurable improvements in service performance, cost efficiency, and operational execution. This role is responsible for optimizing inventory levels, executing replenishment strategies, and aligning cross-functional teams to meet service level agreements while reducing waste. A key player in building and transforming the team, this leader will help reshape how the organization manages spare parts planning through data-driven decision-making, process innovation, and effective S&OP/S&OE execution. The ideal candidate brings strong analytical skills, supply chain planning expertise, and a track record of delivering impactful results.

Job Functions:

Leadership (40%):

• Build and lead a team of 3-8 supply planning professionals, providing guidance, mentorship, and support to achieve business objectives.

• Establish a clear vision and objectives to deliver business outcomes while challenging the team to create effective execution strategies. 

• Closely observe group dynamics to understand the roles, perspectives, priorities, emotions, and motivations of team members, applying this knowledge to facilitate results. 

• Engage in selling and influencing to gain support for the vision, strategy, and initiatives. 

• Develop and benchmark performance measures to track progress and drive continuous improvement (Service, Turnover, OTIF, etc.)

Inventory & Supply Planning (30%)

• Develop and implement inventory and supply planning capabilities to enhance service delivery while reducing inventory levels and associated costs. 

• Foster effective collaboration across departments, including demand planning, logistics, procurement, sourcing, technical operations, and supplier teams. 

• Oversee the creation and execution of inventory and supply plans to ensure the right products are delivered to the right location at the right time, all while minimizing inventory levels and costs 

• Conduct scenario modeling and analysis to provide decision-makers with various options and trade-offs.

• Support the Sales and Operations Planning process (S&OP)

• Establish and lead the Sales and Operations Execution (S&OE) process to ensure that the strategic plan is effectively translated into daily operations.

Continuous Improvement (10%)

• Build a culture of continuous improvement

• Mentor team members on Lean, Six Sigma and other process improvement methodologies.

• Collaborate with IT and analytics team to automate manual processes and improve systems integration

• Facilitate regular reviews of planning processes to ensure alignment with business goals.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

This role directly enhances operational efficiency and service reliability by ensuring the right technical spare parts are available at the right time and location as efficiently as possible. Through optimized inventory planning, strategic replenishment, and cross-functional collaboration, the manager reduces excess stock, lowers carrying costs, improves product availability, and unlocks sourcing and logistics savings. 

Problem solving: The successful candidate will possess a broad range of technical competencies and problem solving methods to solve complex supply chain challenges, included but not limited to:

• Availability Challenges: Ensures critical spare parts are available when and where needed by implementing robust planning and replenishment strategies.

• Inventory Inefficiencies: Reduces excess and dead stock through data-driven inventory optimization and policy alignment, improving working capital utilization.

• Cross-Functional Misalignment: Bridges gaps between departments (e.g., procurement, logistics, technical operations) to enable coordinated planning and execution.

• Operational Disruptions: Supports S&OP and leads S&OE processes to proactively manage supply risks and respond quickly to changing operational needs.

• Process Gaps: Drives continuous improvement initiatives to streamline planning workflows, enhance forecasting accuracy, and improve responsiveness.

• Team Capability: Builds and transforms the planning team to elevate performance, foster innovation, and support scalable growth.

Impact:

• Improved Service Reliability: Ensures timely availability of critical spare parts, reducing downtime and enhancing operational continuity.

• Cost & Working Capital Reduction: Optimizes inventory levels and replenishment strategies to lower carrying costs and minimize excess and dead stock.Works cross-functionally to enable sourcing and logistics savings.

• Operational Efficiency: Streamlines planning processes and drives alignment across departments, improving responsiveness and execution.

• Strategic Decision Support: Provides data-driven insights and scenario modeling to guide leadership in making informed supply chain decisions.

• Improved Budgeting & Spend Management: Enable bottoms-up budgeting, and improved spend vs plan visibility through S&OP.

Leadership:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to align inventory and supply planning with broader business goals, anticipate future needs, and develop scalable solutions.

• Team Development: Builds and transforms a high-performing team through coaching, mentoring, and talent development.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Effectively partners with procurement, logistics, technical operations, and other stakeholders to drive alignment and execution.

• Decision-Making & Problem Solving: Uses data and scenario modeling to make informed decisions, resolve supply chain challenges, and improve service levels.

• Change Leadership: Leads transformation initiatives, adapts to evolving business needs, and drives continuous improvement in planning processes.

• Influence & Communication: Communicates clearly across all levels, gains buy-in for strategies and fosters a culture of transparency and accountability.

• Results Orientation: Focuses on measurable outcomes such as cost reduction, inventory optimization, and service reliability.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Supply Chain Engineering, or a related field.

• Certification in supply chain management (e.g., APICS, CSCP) is preferred.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in inventory management and supply planning.

• Proven leadership experience in managing a team within a supply chain environment.

• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in supply chain management software, preferably Kinaxis.

Physical Demands:  Must be able to remain in a stationary position at a desk and/or computer for extended periods of time.

Travel:  Less than 25% with shipboard travel likely

Work Conditions:Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

This position is classified as “in-office.”  As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Carnival office in South Florida Tuesday through Thursday each week. Employees may work from their homes on Mondays and Fridays.  Candidates must be located in (or willing to relocate to) the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. 

Offers to selected candidates will be made on a fair and equitable basis, taking into account specific job-related skills and experience.   

At Carnival, your total rewards package is much more than your base salary. All non-sales roles participate in an annual cash bonus program, while sales roles have an incentive plan. Director and above roles may also be eligible to participate in Carnival’s discretionary equity incentive plan. Plus, Carnival provides comprehensive and innovative benefits to meet your needs, including: 

• Health Benefits: 
  • Cost-effective medical, dental and vision plans 
  • Employee Assistance Program and other mental health resources 
  • Additional programs include company paid term life insurance and disability coverage  
• Financial Benefits: 
  • 401(k) plan that includes a company match 
  • Employee Stock Purchase plan 
• Paid Time Off 
  • Holidays – All full-time and part-time with benefits employees receive days off for 8 company-wide holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays to be taken at the employee’s discretion.  
  • Vacation Time – All full-time employees at the manager and below level start with 14 days/year; director and above level start with 19 days/year.  Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 84 hours/year.  All employees gain additional vacation time with further tenure. 
  • Sick Time – All full-time employees receive 80 hours of sick time each year.  Part-time with benefits employees receive time off based on the number of hours they work, with a minimum of 60 hours each year.   
• Other Benefits 
  • Complementary stand-by cruises, employee discounts on confirmed cruises, plus special rates for family and friends 
  • Personal and professional learning and development resources including tuition reimbursement  
  • On-site Fitness center at our Miami campus 

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