Associate Manager - Instock

Job Description

ASSOCIATE MANAGER, IN-STOCK OPERATIONS

Role Summary

The Associate Manager, In-Stock Operations leads a team of In-Stock Specialists, translating individual execution into consistent team-wide performance. You own the team's output quality, capacity, and development - setting priorities, unblocking your team, and driving the projects that move inventory health metrics forward. You are accountable for your team's results, not just your own. What You'll Do Manage a team of In-Stock Specialists (I, II, and Senior) - setting goals, assigning work, and monitoring performance against SLAs and inventory health metrics (DIO, in-stock rate). Own hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, coaching, and career development for direct reports. Run team rituals (1:1s, stand-ups, retros) and maintain a clear view of team capacity, workload distribution, and coverage. Lead cross-functional projects end-to-end (e.g., WBR, new brand onboarding, expiration-date programme) - defining scope, timelines, and success metrics, and coordinating across brand management, the US team, and leadership. Identify and prioritize automation and process-improvement opportunities across the team, and hold owners accountable for shipping them. Own and present WBR-level reporting and inventory health metrics to leadership, translating data into a clear narrative and action plan. Serve as the escalation point for complex vendor, catalogue, or marketplace issues that require cross-team coordination or leadership visibility. Partner with brand management and marketplace leads to align on inventory strategy and proactively manage risk. Build and maintain team documentation, training materials, and onboarding processes so the team scales without you as a bottleneck.

What Success Looks Like

Team consistently meets or exceeds SLAs Your team's capacity and skills grow over time - specialists are promoted, and the team absorbs more scope without proportional headcount growth. Cross-functional projects you own land on time and deliver measurable results. You spend meaningfully more time on planning, coaching, and problem-solving than on individual task execution. Qualifications 2+ years of experience in inventory operations, supply chain, or e-commerce operations, including direct ownership of core inventory processes. Prior experience managing or leading a team - formally or informally - including hiring, coaching, and performance management. Strong project management skills - able to scope, sequence, and drive cross-functional projects to completion. Deep fluency in inventory health metrics (DIO, in-stock rate) and the forecasting/ordering mechanics that drive them. Comfortable pulling and synthesizing data from multiple systems (e.g., Snowflake, brand selling accounts) to build a narrative for leadership. Track record of identifying and shipping process or automation improvements using AI tools, scripts, or workflow automation. Experience with e-commerce marketplaces (Amazon, Chewy, Australia marketplace, or equivalent) strongly preferred. Excellent written and verbal communication; able to build trust with stakeholders across functions and time zones.