Allocation Optimization Manager

About Away

We believe travel makes us better. Launched in 2016 with one perfectly designed carry-on, we now offer a range of luggage and travel essentials for every journey. Together we create, innovate, and embark on this journey as a community of travelers, helping to make travel more seamless for everyone.

Join The Crew

We are hiring an Allocation Optimization Manager to join our Merchandising, Planning, & Allocation team. This position reports to the VP, Merchandising and takes Away further by managing inventory allocation workflows and supporting the operational growth of our retail stores and digital channel. Sitting at the intersection of Allocation, Merchandise Planning, and Store Operations, the Allocation Optimization Manager owns the end-to-end inventory lifecycle across our 16 retail locations and digital channel.

If you are a data-driven retail planner who loves solving complex puzzles and wants to build the automation that scales a business, this is your launchpad.

What you’ll do as the Allocation Optimization Manager

Core Fleet Allocation & Workload Evolution

• You’ll own and execute initial allocations, seasonal floorsets, and ongoing replenishment across 16 retail stores and the e-commerce channel, maintaining optimal fleet-wide stock depth and sell-through rates

• You’ll execute allocation routines and collaborate with Engineering and Data teams to test and support tool logic refinements and process enhancements

Store Planning & Assortment Strategy

• You’ll execute store replenishment and evaluate store performance using established tiering frameworks, incorporating local climate, capacity, historical trends, and demographic insights

• You’ll identify location-specific best sellers and slow movers, synthesizing performance trends into actionable recommendations for Merchandising for future seasons

• You’ll maintain an active feedback loop with Store Managers and District Managers to incorporate hyper-local trends, competitive shifts, and unique store needs into allocation strategies

Financial Planning & Open-to-Buy (OTB)

• You’ll manage monthly Open-to-Buy (OTB) tracking and reporting process for the retail fleet, evaluating sales and receipt variances in partnership with Planning leadership

• You’ll support the Merch Planning Director and Finance team in tracking store-level revenue plans and identifying variances between top-down targets and bottom-up trends

• You’ll perform fleet inventory health analysis, escalating identified stock risks and proposing operational adjustments to planning leadership

System Implementation & Operational Alignment

• You’ll collaborate with Operations and 3PL partners to optimize delivery schedules, stock buffer management, and inventory flow across the fleet

Who you are

• You have a minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in Retail Planning, Allocation, or OTB Management within a multi-unit retail environment (10–50 stores preferred)

• You’re advanced in Excel (dynamic data structures, scenario modeling, complex formulas) and have experience with enterprise planning software or BI platforms (e.g., Oracle, Blue Yonder, SAP)

• You have a deep understanding of core retail metrics and processes, including Open-to-Buy (OTB), GMROI, inventory turn, Weeks of Supply (WOS), and sell-through

• You have a strategic mindset that balances macro chain-level targets across 17 stores and e-commerce with micro, store-level allocation precision

• You have the proven ability to navigate matrixed teams across Merchandising, Planning, Marketing, Stores, and 3PL/Operations

• You’re a strong communicator with a track record of presenting data-driven insights to leadership and partnering with field teams to translate qualitative store feedback into actionable inventory strategies

• You’re creative and innovative; you love to build great new things that are fresh and unique while staying on brand

• You’re agile, and motivated by a fast-paced and ever changing environment

• You’re passionate about transforming travel for all (but that’s a given!)

Excited to join the team, but not sure you meet all of the qualifications? Please apply, we’d still love to hear from you.