Position Title: Merchandise Inventory Planner

Reports to: General Merchandise Director

Location: Remote, USA. With travel to US college campuses as necessary. (Roughly 3 days/2 nights of travel per month or as needed)

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time

About BibliU

BibliU is an award-winning education company that provides Day 1 access to affordable course materials, making learning more equitable and effective, in addition to providing campus store management. We partner with over 3,000 educational publishers, including Pearson, Oxford University Press, and Wiley, to offer a wide range of high-quality content to students. Our platform provides rich engagement data to academics and allows students to find information faster. We have disrupted the textbook industry by reducing the cost of education significantly and increasing publisher sales.

Founded in late-2015, we are a rapidly growing company transforming the way students and educators access and interact with learning materials. Our revenue has grown rapidly, with 150% YoY growth in the last three years. Last year, we raised $21m in a Series B funding round led by Nesta Impact Investments, with participation from Guinness Asset Management, Stonehage Fleming, and Oxford Sciences Enterprises.

In late 2023, we acquired Texas Book Company (now ‘BibliU Campus’) in order to deliver a more complete solution of products and services to higher ed students, faculty and administrators across the US! Since the addition of BibliU Campus, we have seen a dramatic increase in customers due to a much improved product market fit. We are very excited about our growth and are expanding the team to meet our new market potential!

We are a diverse and inclusive team of professionals who are passionate about education and technology. Our culture is fast-paced, innovative, and dynamic, and we are always looking for talented individuals to join our team. If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding career in edtech and campus store management, BibliU is the perfect place for you. Join us and help revolutionize the way students and educators access and interact with learning materials!

Position Overview

The Merchandise Inventory Planner (MIP) will lead comprehensive inventory optimization across our Apparel (GM) and Gifts categoryies, balancing product availability with precise demand forecasting. You’ll orchestrate inventory flow through our distribution network, retail locations, and omnichannel. Success in this role requires adaptability and comfort with shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment. Your dynamic skill set should include strong analytical capabilities, strategic thinking, and the ability to navigate complex situations with confidence. Experience in leading through change and building collaborative relationships across multiple stakeholders is essential as we continue to evolve our operations. This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of our inventory planning capabilities while developing and applying versatile skills in an ever changing retail landscape.

What you will be doing:

• Monitor, control and optimize inventory levels across regions and campus locations.
• Own demand forecasting and supply planning excellence, orchestrating successful inventory management for promotional events, seasonal peaks, new product launches, exclusive brands and store openings.
• Champion continuous improvement of critical KPI’s, including in-stock percentage, order fill-rate, on-time delivery metrics, inventory turnover ratio, and days of coverage targets.
• Develop and execute comprehensive product lifecycle strategies, from launch through maturity, implementing data-driven inventory management approaches for each phase.
• Leverage advanced data analysis techniques to develop and maintain comprehensive inventory forecasting models and reporting systems.
• Drive operational excellence by identifying gaps and implementing strategic improvements across service quality, efficiency, and order management systems.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to optimize supply & demand planning processes, ensuring best-in-class operations and streamlined processes.
• Support implementation of real-time tracking, analytics, and reporting systems to monitor distribution partner performance.
• Travelling to BibliU partners to view the campus store as needed and requested.

What we are looking for

• A motivated individual who likes new challenges and is open to change
• Ready to roll up your sleeves and be directly involved with process and system improvement initiatives
• Comfortable meeting directly with customers to assess needs
• Openness to operational work, alongside more traditional merchandising
• A team player who likes to work collaboratively across multiple teams
• Work with BibliU team members to build out training plans to help our teams to self-serve and self-deliver GM
• Excellent commercial acumen and relationship building skills
• Organised with strong attention to detail

Must have:

• 4-6 years of experience in retail, logistics, supply chain, operations or inventory planning
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets (data manipulation, analysis and automation)
• Track record of process optimization, continuous improvement, and strategic problem-solving
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strategic relationships with suppliers and business partners
• Experience working with inventory management systems
• Open to travel

Good to have:

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain (or equivalent experience) management, Business Administration or related field
• Start-up or scale-up experience
• Experience in the higher education sector

Benefits

Our benefits are all aimed at supporting a healthy work-life balance and cultivating a company culture where you can bring your whole, human self to work.

Here's what we offer:

• 🌴Paid time off
• 📄401(k) plan
• 🩺Medical insurance
• 🦷Dental insurance
• 👁️Vision insurance
• ➕Life insurance
• 💰Company-wide bonus scheme

We strongly encourage candidates of all different backgrounds, experiences and identities to apply. Each new hire is an opportunity for us to bring in a different perspective and BibliU is committed to building an inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone can do rewarding work.