Inventory Planning Manager Jobs in Alabama (NOW HIRING)

Supply & Demand Inventory Planner

Join Our Team

Educators Resource is a leading national wholesale distributor of educational, office, and fine art supplies serving schools, retailers, and institutions across the United States. For nearly 50 years, we have built our reputation on exceptional service, operational excellence, and strong relationships with our customers and vendor partners.

We are looking for a Supply & Demand Inventory Planner to help ensure we have the right products, in the right quantities, at the right time. This role combines inventory planning, forecasting, purchasing, and vendor management to support product availability while maintaining healthy inventory levels.

The ideal candidate enjoys working with data, solving problems, collaborating across teams, and making decisions that have a direct impact on customers and the business.

Location: Semmes

Schedule: Full-time | Non-Exempt | Day Shift

The Role 

As a Supply & Demand Inventory Planner, you will manage inventory for assigned product lines and work closely with vendors and internal teams to anticipate demand, maintain appropriate stock levels, and address potential supply issues before they impact our customers.

Using sales history, inventory levels, lead times, seasonal trends, and other planning data, you will determine inventory needs and place purchase orders accordingly. You'll monitor product performance and supplier activity, adjust inventory plans as conditions change, and help balance product availability with responsible inventory investment.

You'll also partner with Sales, Customer Service, Operations, Finance, Distribution, and Purchasing to share information, solve supply challenges, and continuously improve how we plan and manage inventory.

What You’ll Do

Your primary focus will be maintaining the inventory needed to support customer demand. This includes forecasting inventory requirements, placing and managing purchase orders, monitoring inventory across multiple warehouse locations, and maintaining planning parameters such as reorder points, lead times, safety stock, minimums, and maximums.

You'll develop strong vendor relationships and monitor supplier performance, following up on open orders and resolving shortages, back-orders, shipping delays, and other supply issues. You'll also analyze sales, demand, and inventory trends, evaluate new product performance, and recommend adjustments when needed.

Just as importantly, you'll communicate potential supply concerns to the appropriate teams and work collaboratively to find solutions that support our customers and business objectives.

What We’re Looking For 

We're looking for someone who is analytical, organized, dependable, and comfortable making decisions using data. You should be able to manage multiple priorities, communicate effectively with vendors and coworkers, and follow through on details in a fast-paced environment.

An associate’s degree in business, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, or a related field is preferred, although relevant experience may be substituted for formal education. Three or more years of experience in inventory planning, purchasing, supply chain, or a related field is preferred. Experience in wholesale distribution, manufacturing, retail, or another inventory-driven environment is a plus.

Candidates should be proficient in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and comfortable working with ERP, inventory, purchasing, or materials management systems. Familiarity with inventory planning concepts such as lead times, reorder points, safety stock, minimums, and maximums is preferred.

Above all, we're looking for someone with good judgment, a willingness to learn, strong attention to detail, and a collaborative approach to getting things done.

Compensation & Benefits

Educators Resource offers competitive compensation based on experience and qualifications, along with a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions

Company-paid Basic Life and Long-Term Disability Insurance

Voluntary Life, Short-Term Disability, Accident, and Critical Illness Insurance

Paid Time Off and company-paid holidays

Professional development and training opportunities

Why Educators Resource?

At Educators Resource, your work has a direct impact on product availability, customer satisfaction, and the success of our business. You'll have the opportunity to build strong vendor partnerships, collaborate with teams across the company, and help improve the way we plan and manage inventory.

We're proud of our nearly 50-year history and excited about where we're headed. We value integrity, teamwork, accountability, continuous improvement, and people who are willing to share ideas and solve problems.

If you're looking for a stable, growing company where you can make an impact and continue developing your supply chain and inventory planning skills, we'd like to hear from you.

Educators Resource is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.