Vice President, Inventory Management

About the JobHello, potential PriceSmart candidate. We’re on a mission to hire the very best, and are committed to creating exceptional employee experiences where everyone is respected and has access to equal opportunity. We realize the greatest contributions to the company can come from anywhere in the organization, and we know that the next one could be yours!The VP, Inventory Management leads this work end to end: building an accurate inventory and receipts forecast, executing replenishment that keeps clubs in stock without overinvesting in inventory, and building the systems, processes, and team needed to do this reliably at PriceSmart's scale. This role inherits momentum already underway — a new monthly forecasting process, an ongoing RELEX system rollout, and the chance to help define how inventory health itself gets measured — this role will shape how that work gets completed, rather than simply executing someone else's design.The Inventory Management team is distributed today: inventory managers and a handful of demand planners are based in San Diego, while the majority of the team — including most demand planning — sits in Colombia. This leader will need to assess that structure and determine the right long-term shape and location mix for the team as the function scales alongside the rest of Merchandise Operations & Analytics.What You'll DoInventory StrategyEstablish a strategy that determines how inventory should flow through PriceSmart’s supply chain, in order to maximize cash flow as well as sales/reliability for members. This includes but is not limited to:In-stock goals based on item role/strategy (replenish vs rotational, destination vs discretionary), differentiated further by club/market.Guidelines for what should be cross-dock vs held in DCs, developed in partnership with Supply Chain, who owns execution of the physical networkInventory investment strategy by department/area — determining where inventory dollars should be concentrated for the strongest return (turns, margin, member experience) and where the business should deliberately run lean.New-item and seasonal launch inventory strategy: initial buy depth, how quickly to ramp replenishment once real sell-through data exists, and a clean approach to season-end or discontinuation.Aged and obsolete inventory strategy — clear triggers for flagging slow-moving or aging inventory and a defined markdown/liquidation path, so this doesn’t default to ad hoc handling.Inventory strategy for the ecommerce extended aisle assortment, including whether items draw from a shared club inventory pool versus dedicated ecommerce inventory, and ensuring inventory accuracy and reliability by channel.Partner with Supply Chain on distribution network capacity planning as PriceSmart’s club count grows, so inventory strategy evolves alongside what the physical network can actually support.Demand Forecasting & PlanningOwn the inventory and receipts forecast within the new monthly merchandise forecasting process — a 15-month rolling horizon by market × department, with dual currency lenses (constant-currency and current-forecast-rate) and Open-to-Buy as a calculated output. Buyers own the sales and margin forecast; this role owns translating that into an inventory/receipts plan and is accountable for the accuracy of that translation.Lead the training and change management needed to bring the full F&R organization into this process, including how buying’s sales/margin forecast connects to and drives the inventory/receipts side this team owns.Reconcile top-down financial/merchandise plans with bottoms-up, club- and SKU-level inventory and receipt requirements.Own forecast accuracy and bias measurement on the inventory/receipts forecast, and drive continuous improvement against it.Replenishment & Inventory ExecutionOwn replenishment strategy and execution across all clubs and markets, including safety stock, lead-time, and reorder-point logic that accounts for the real differences between Corporate-sourced (longer import lead times) and Local-sourced goods.Be the business owner accountable for getting the most out of the RELEX rollout — including resolving the item data quality issues that are currently undermining system performance, in close partnership with IT/Merchandising Systems and the Item, Data & Vendor Operations team.Separate and redesign the showstock parameter, which today does two structurally different jobs — triggering replenishment and setting a presentation-floor minimum — into two distinct, correctly-tuned parameters.Represent Forecast & Replenishment in the cross-functional showstock/inventory alignment review with Club Operations.Open-to-Buy & Financial AlignmentOwn the Open-to-Buy process and calculation, in close partnership with Finance and buyers, ensuring inventory investment stays aligned to sales, margin, and inventory targets.Surface and resolve tension between merchandise ambition and inventory discipline before it becomes a financial problem.Inventory Health, KPI’s & ReportingPartner with Finance, Supply Chain and Buying to finalize a standard, agreed set of inventory health metrics — resolving open questions like whether turns and inventory are measured at cost or retail, on an average or ending basis, and what "in-stock" should actually mean (today's definition counts a single unit on hand as in-stock, which materially overstates true availability).Support the change management & training needed across F&R and Buying teams to understand, adopt and track these metrics.Identify which metrics should be used for F&R team performance/accountability expectationsBuild and own the recurring inventory health reporting cadence for Buyers, Buying Leadership and ELT.Cross-Functional & International ComplexityFirst and foremost – foster a deep, collaborative partnership between F&R and Buying teams; these two teams must operate with complete clarity about roles & responsibilities, strong. alignment on priorities and constant communication about current state and future plans.Operate fluently across PriceSmart's Corporate/Local buying organization.Partner closely with Club Operations, Finance, Supply Chain, and the buying organization — this role succeeds through influence and shared ownership as much as through its own execution.Partner with IT/Merchandising Systems on RELEX and any future tooling.Team Leadership & Organizational DesignAssess the current Forecast & Replenishment team — people, process, tools, and location — and design the structure needed to support a growing, increasingly complex business, including determining the right long-term mix and location of roles across San Diego and ColombiaBuild training and documented process so forecasting and replenishment capability is repeatable and doesn't depend on a small number of individuals who "know how it works"Build a high-performing team through clear roles, strong hiring, and ongoing developmentWho You AreExperience:15+ years of deep retail inventory management experience — demand forecasting, replenishment, allocation, and Open-to-Buy — ideally including experience with a limited-assortment or club/warehouse retail model.Direct experience with a modern demand/replenishment planning system (RELEX or a comparable platform strongly preferred).Comfort operating across multiple countries, currencies, and sourcing models — this is not a single-market forecasting problemA track record of building or substantially rebuilding forecasting/replenishment process, not just operating an existing one.Experience leading distributed or nearshore/offshore teams, and comfort making real decisions about team structure and location rather than defaulting to the current split.Skills:Strong quantitative and analytical rigor, paired with the ability to translate that into decisions buyers and finance leaders can act onStrong cross-functional partnership skills — this role works constantly with Buying, Finance, Club Operations, Supply Chain, and ITComfort with ambiguity and unfinished process — significant parts of this function are still being defined, and this leader is expected to help define them, not wait for finished directionSome Important IntangiblesYou feel connected to our mission and values: Integrity, Excellence, CommunityYou are a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you for successYou enjoy sharing your quirkiness and talents with your coworkersEnjoy working hardFull of energy for the things one sees as challengingThe ability to remain calm when dealing with unforeseen constraints.The above description is designed to state the general nature and level of work performed in the function. It is not intended to contain or be construed as an exhaustive inventory of all job duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. A complete job description may be made available to you through the hiring process.Benefits & PerksWe believe taking care of our people is the right thing to do. This is what we can offer for all your hard work:Competitive pay ($220,800 - $276,000)Bonus - up to 24%Equity - up to 30%Travel up to 15%Medical, Dental and Vision plansEmployee Assistance ProgramEducation Assistance Program401K ContributionsLife InsuranceLTDPriceSmart Membership CardPet InsuranceMeditation AppBenefitsHub for Employee DiscountsFun eventsEmployee recognitionSupportive, nurturing environment with many opportunities for learning and growth...and more!Our CommitmentWe not only embrace and celebrate the diversity of our membership base and communities, but also strive to achieve the same in our employees. At PriceSmart, we are committed to equal employment opportunity, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status or any other class protected by applicable law. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.Get to know usPriceSmart was founded with a purpose to inspire and impact the lives and businesses of our Members, our employees and our communities through the ethical delivery of the best quality goods and services at the lowest possible prices.Throughout the years, we have constantly asked ourselves how we can do more and have a greater impact. We want to prove that we are a company that can grow, be profitable and do good in the world, and we have learned that it takes a great organizational culture to achieve that goal.At PriceSmart, you can look forward to company events, anniversaries celebrating our employees with more than 20, or 30 years of tenure, volunteering and learning opportunities, and just great company filled with curious, kind folks. Dreaming up and sharing ideas aren’t responsibilities reserved for certain teams or leaders; the challenge of building our own culture is on all of our shoulders. That sense of community and belonging keeps us excited to walk through the door everyday, wherever that door may be, in any of our 13 countries.