Senior Director of Planning & Allocation

Overview

Reporting to the Chief Merchant, the Sr. Director of Planning & Allocation leads enterprise merchandise planning and allocation strategy to ensure the right product is in the right place at the right time across all channels. This role owns the planning and allocation operating model, drives sales, margin, inventory, and receipt plans, and partners closely with Merchandising, Finance, Supply Chain, Analytics, and Store Operations to support profitable growth. The Sr. Director builds scalable processes, strengthens tools and reporting, and develops a high-performing planning and allocation team while delivering clear, data-driven insights to guide strategic and in-season decisions. The Sr. Manager of Planning & Allocation for Footwear and Sr. Manager of Planning & Allocation for Apparel will report to this role, as well as a Merchandise Analyst and Special Order Specialist. This leadership role will have a large impact on merchandising operations and the success of the business.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the "Cavender's Culture" and drive our Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Lead the end-to-end planning and allocation function across footwear and apparel, including seasonal, annual, and in-season planning.
• In partnership with Chief Merchant, own sales, margin, inventory, receipt, and open-to-buy plans by division, category, and channel.
• Establish and maintain allocation and replenishment strategies that align with customer demand, store clusters, size curves, and new store growth.
• Partner closely with the Chief Merchant and DMM/category leaders to support assortment strategies, line reviews, and in-season decisions.

• Drive forecasting accuracy through scenario modeling, risk and opportunity analysis, and disciplined performance tracking.

• Collaborate with Finance on inventory investment, budgets, and long-range financial planning.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Distribution to align inventory flow, allocation timing, and replenishment execution.
• Establish standardized planning calendars, governance, and performance routines across teams.
• Develop consistent reporting, dashboards, and KPIs to monitor sales performance, inventory health, turns, and liabilities.
• Lead, coach, and develop Sr. Managers of Planning & Allocation and the Merchandising Analyst, building strong bench strength and succession plans.
• Champion process improvement, system enhancements, and data integrity across planning and allocation tools.

• Communicate business performance, risks, and opportunities to executive leadership with clear recommendations and action plans.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.

• 12+ years of progressive retail merchandise planning and allocation experience.

• Demonstrated leadership experience managing managers or directors in a multi-location retail environment.

• Deep expertise in forecasting, open-to-buy management, inventory flow, allocation strategy, and in-season optimization.

• Proven ability to influence cross-functional partners and align teams around data-driven decisions.

• Strong analytical skills with advanced Excel proficiency.

• Comfort presenting insights to executive leadership.

• Experience building or scaling planning and allocation processes, tools, and reporting frameworks.

Preferred Skills

• Footwear and apparel planning experience, including size curve and attribute-level planning.

• Omnichannel planning experience across stores and ecommerce.

• Experience supporting rapid store growth, new store openings, or remodels.

• Familiarity with retail planning and allocation systems and strong partnership with IT and Analytics teams.

• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance long-term planning and fast-paced in-season execution.

Cavender's is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, military status, national origin, sex, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, disability, genetic information, or any other personal characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.

Cavender's will provide reasonable accommodations for persons with a disability upon request. If you have a disability and need assistance completing the application, please call Customer Service at (888) 361 - 2555 or visit your nearest Cavender's store.

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.