Data Science R Jobs in Madison, WI (NOW HIRING)

*This is a hybrid role with three weeks per month onsite (Mon. – Thurs.). The fourth week is fully remote.

The B2B Inventory & Merchandising Analytics Analyst partners closely with merchandising, inventory planning, and B2B business leaders. This role will focus on delivering data-driven insights, demand forecasting, and inventory projections that enable smarter buying decisions and improved inventory performance for the B2B channel.

The analyst will support planners by combining business analytics, SKU-level inventory modeling, and time-series forecasting techniques to evaluate forecast accuracy, identify demand trends, and improve inventory planning decisions.

This role sits within the analytics organization and plays a key role in advancing more modern, data-driven inventory planning capabilities, including predictive forecasting and scalable analytics.

Demand Forecasting & Predictive Analytics

• Develop and maintain SKU-level demand forecasts using statistical and time-series forecasting techniques
• Analyze forecast accuracy by comparing historical forecasts to actual results and identifying drivers of variance
• Apply forecasting approaches such as weighted averages, moving averages, seasonal decomposition, time-series models
• Identify seasonal patterns, trends, and demand shifts that should be incorporated into planning models.
• Support scenario modeling to evaluate future inventory needs and demand projections.

Inventory Planning & Optimization

• Partner with inventory planners to evaluate buy plans and inventory strategies based on forecasted demand
• Analyzing the impact of inventory decisions on key metrics such as fill rate, inventory coverage, stockout risk, ending inventory levels
• Provide scenario analysis such as impact of reducing buy plans, inventory projections for future product launches, SKU-level demand projections
• Support long-term planning models for major launches and assortment changes.

B2B Sales & Inventory Performance Analytics

• Produce reporting and insights to monitor sales performance and inventory health of key enterprise clients
• Develop and maintain monthly inventory performance reporting.
• Analyze sales patterns, product performance, and purchasing behavior to inform planning decisions.
• Analyze and provide insights on the overall program to help influence future forecasts and decisions.

Business Insights & Executive Reporting

• Prepare inventory insights and reporting for quarterly business reviews and leadership updates.
• Develop clear, actionable analysis that helps merchandising and planning leaders make informed decisions.
• Translate complex data into simple insights and recommendations.
• Strong curiosity, be able to ask the right questions to get the desired outcome from the team. 

Analytics & Data Enablement

• Work with data engineering and BI teams to ensure planners have reliable and scalable access to inventory and sales data
• Build dashboards and analytics solutions using tools such as Power BI.
• Contribute to the development of modern analytics capabilities, including automated forecasting and advanced demand modeling.
• Be able to build visuals or frame up the data in a digestible way to folks that don’t work with the numbers every day.  Both for internal and external purposes.

Skills

• Strong analytical and quantitative skills
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills
• Experience analyzing large datasets and building forecasts
• Experience with time-series forecasting or predictive analytics
• Familiarity with programming languages such as Python or R
• Experience with BI tools such as Power BI
• Retail, merchandising, or supply chain analytics experience
• Works independently on routine tasks and requires limited supervision.
• Contributes to team projects and collaborates effectively with peers.

Education & Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Analytics, Data Science, Supply Chain, Business, Economics, or a relevant field
• 2-5 years of experience in analytics, demand forecasting, inventory analysis, or merchandising analytics