Allocation Manager

About Us

We are a data-centric organization specializing in optimizing the distribution and allocation of products, inventory, resources, capacity, and operational assets across various markets, locations, channels, and business units. Our collaborative teams span Allocation, Merchandising, Planning, Supply Chain, Procurement, Logistics, Sales, Finance, Operations, and Commercial Strategy to ensure the precise availability of resources in the right place, time, and quantities.

Role Overview

The Allocation Manager will lead the planning and management of allocation strategies related to inventory distribution, replenishment, demand balancing, stock optimization, and allocation tactics across markets, stores, channels, warehouses, or business units. This role demands strong analytical ability combined with commercial insight, forecasting expertise, inventory management skills, and leadership across teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and execute allocation strategies aligned with sales, profitability, inventory, and customer service goals.
• Assess and assign optimal distribution of products, inventory, and resources among locations and sales channels.
• Convert demand forecasts and business plans into detailed allocation requirements.
• Analyze past sales, inventory levels, demand patterns, customer behaviors, seasonality, promotions, and market trends.
• Allocate stock considering demand, capacity constraints, sales potential, availability, and commercial priorities.
• Set rules, thresholds, priorities, and replenishment settings for allocation.
• Balance inventory availability against capital usage and surplus stock targets.
• Track and review inventory status across diverse warehouses, locations, channels, regions, and business units.
• Identify shortages, overstock, slow-moving items, and inventory mismatches.
• Advise on stock transfers, reallocation, markdowns, and other corrective steps.
• Optimize inventory placement to enhance availability and curtail excessive transfers and storage costs.
• Monitor product sell-through and adapt allocation plans accordingly.
• Analyze SKU, category, location, channel, region, and customer segment performance.
• Ensure adequate availability of high-performing products and prevent excess stock of underperformers.
• Support initial allocation for new product launches using sales projections, market potential, store profiles, and historical analogues.
• Oversee seasonal, promotional, and event-driven allocation planning.
• Manage restricted inventory across competing channels and markets, setting prioritization frameworks.
• Collaborate closely with Demand and Supply Planning teams to synchronize allocation with supply availability.
• Adjust allocations based on supplier lead times, orders, shipments, production schedules, and unanticipated demand or supply changes.
• Work with Warehousing and Logistics to ensure timely inventory delivery and optimize distribution schedules.
• Evaluate inter-location transfers for commercial and cost effectiveness.
• Integrate commercial strategies, promotional plans, product launches, and customer agreements into allocation decisions.
• Coordinate with Finance to assess impact on margin, inventory value, working capital, and profitability.
• Monitor performance against financial and commercial targets, creating forecasts and scenario analyses.
• Deploy advanced Excel, ERP, inventory, merchandise-planning, and supply chain systems along with BI, statistical forecasting, optimization, and automation tools.
• Explore AI and predictive analytics to enhance allocation decisions.
• Establish KPIs and dashboards to monitor allocation accuracy, inventory status, and operational efficiency.
• Maintain and verify allocation master data, store profiles, SKU attributes, and planning assumptions.
• Develop and enforce allocation controls, approval protocols, and exception management procedures.
• Standardize allocation processes and support ongoing improvements in inventory planning and distribution.
• Prepare reports and presentations for management outlining allocation performance, risks, and proposed actions.
• Lead cross-functional meetings related to allocation and mentor junior analysts or planners where relevant.

Performance Metrics

• Inventory availability and stockout rates
• Sell-through and turnover rates
• Inventory aging and excess stock levels
• Allocation accuracy and forecast alignment
• Margin and profitability performance
• Transfer frequency, cost, and replenishment efficiency
• Order fulfillment and new-product allocation effectiveness
• Working capital utilization and adherence to allocation plans

Candidate Profile and Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in allocation, merchandise or inventory planning, replenishment, demand planning, or supply chain domains.
• In-depth understanding of inventory allocation and distribution methodologies.
• Experience analyzing sales, inventory, demand, and product data.
• Proficiency with forecasting, replenishment, and inventory optimization techniques.
• Advanced Excel capabilities including formulas, pivot tables, data modeling, and analysis.
• Familiarity with ERP, inventory management, merchandise planning, or supply chain software.
• Knowledge of BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) and experience with SQL, Python, statistical forecasting or optimization is a plus.
• Strong commercial acumen regarding sales, margin management, inventory valuation, and profitability.
• Excellent communication skills and stakeholder engagement ability.
• Capability to manage multiple SKUs, locations, channels, deadlines, and priorities efficiently.
• Meticulous attention to detail and ensuring data integrity.
• Proactive, well-organized, commercially driven, results-focused with the ability to work remotely.
• Relevant academic qualifications in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Economics, Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, Merchandising, or similar.
• Professional certifications in supply chain, inventory management, planning, or analytics are favorable.
• Experience in UAE or GCC markets is highly desirable.