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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Jewelry Supply Analyst

💰 $ - $

Supply ChainAnalyticsMerchandisingLuxury GoodsJewelry

🎯 Role Definition

The Jewelry Supply Analyst serves as the strategic core of the product lifecycle, ensuring the seamless and efficient flow of exquisite pieces from our artisans and suppliers to our valued customers. This pivotal role demands a unique fusion of quantitative analysis and a deep, qualitative understanding of the luxury market. The analyst is entrusted with forecasting demand for diverse collections—from timeless bridal sets to trend-driven fashion pieces—while meticulously managing inventory levels across multiple sales channels. By collaborating closely with merchandising, marketing, and finance, the Jewelry Supply Analyst directly impacts profitability, maximizes product availability, and ensures operational excellence. Success in this position means our customers can always discover the perfect piece for their special moments, while the business operates with optimal efficiency and financial health.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Inventory Coordinator
  • Merchandising Assistant
  • Data Analyst (Retail)
  • Junior Buyer

Advancement To:

  • Senior Supply Analyst
  • Demand Planning Manager
  • Inventory Manager
  • Supply Chain Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Merchandise Planner
  • Business Analyst (Retail Operations)
  • Category Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Develop and maintain sophisticated demand forecasts for various jewelry categories, incorporating historical sales data, market trends, seasonality, and promotional calendars.
  • Meticulously manage inventory levels for both finished goods and raw materials (e.g., precious metals, gemstones) across all channels, including e-commerce, retail stores, and wholesale partners.
  • Analyze sales velocity, stock-to-sales ratios, and sell-through rates to identify slow-moving inventory and recommend strategic actions like markdowns or promotional campaigns.
  • Collaborate proactively with Merchandising and Product Development teams to plan for new product launches, ensuring optimal initial inventory buys and a smooth market introduction.
  • Create, manage, and track replenishment purchase orders with a global network of suppliers and internal workshops, carefully considering lead times, production capacity, and logistics.
  • Monitor, interpret, and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as inventory turns, in-stock rates, forecast accuracy, and Gross Margin Return on Investment (GMROI).
  • Prepare and present detailed inventory performance and sales analysis reports to senior management, translating complex data into actionable insights and strategic recommendations.
  • Conduct granular size-and-material-level analysis for core and fashion collections to ensure optimal size runs and component availability, preventing stockouts on key items.
  • Strategically optimize the allocation of new and existing inventory to various store locations and distribution centers based on regional demand patterns and store performance.
  • Partner closely with the Finance department on open-to-buy (OTB) management, inventory valuation, and annual budget planning to ensure financial alignment.
  • Identify, assess, and develop mitigation strategies for potential supply chain risks, including supplier delays, shipping disruptions, or sudden shifts in commodity prices.
  • Manage the end-of-life product cycle by planning for timely clearance, liquidation, or component reutilization to minimize financial loss and recover value.
  • Maintain impeccable data integrity within the company's ERP and inventory management systems, ensuring all product attributes, costs, and statuses are accurate.
  • Perform ongoing analysis of competitor pricing, assortment, and inventory strategies to inform and refine our own purchasing and positioning decisions.
  • Work in tandem with the Marketing team to align inventory availability with upcoming campaigns, product features, and key seasonal selling periods like Valentine's Day and the holidays.
  • Develop data-driven assortment plans by location, ensuring each store's product mix is tailored to local customer preferences and sales potential.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to answer urgent business questions from leadership and cross-functional partners.
  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of forecasting models, planning tools, and supply chain processes by researching and recommending new methodologies.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for system enhancements or new reporting capabilities.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team, representing the needs of the supply chain function.
  • Assist in training and mentoring junior team members or coordinators on inventory planning principles and internal system usage.
  • Contribute to cross-functional projects related to major system implementations, new market entry, or broad supply chain optimization initiatives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Advanced Excel Proficiency: Mastery of complex formulas (e.g., INDEX/MATCH, SUMIFS), pivot tables, data modeling, and macros for deep and efficient analysis.
  • Demand & Inventory Planning Systems: Hands-on experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle NetSuite) and specialized planning tools (e.g., JDA, Logility, Anaplan).
  • Data Visualization: Proven ability to use tools like Tableau or Power BI to create insightful and easily digestible dashboards and reports for a business audience.
  • Statistical Analysis & Forecasting: A strong grasp of statistical methods, including time-series analysis and regression, to build and critically evaluate predictive models.
  • SQL (Structured Query Language): The ability to write queries to efficiently extract, manipulate, and analyze large datasets from relational databases.
  • Supply Chain Principles: Deep knowledge of core inventory management concepts like safety stock, reorder points, economic order quantity (EOQ), and ABC analysis.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical & Critical Thinking: An innate ability to dissect complex problems, challenge assumptions, and develop robust, data-driven solutions.
  • Exceptional Attention to Detail: Meticulous and precise, especially when dealing with high-value inventory and complex datasets where small errors have significant financial impact.
  • Collaborative Communication: The skill to clearly articulate complex analytical findings and recommendations to non-technical stakeholders in a compelling and persuasive manner.
  • Commercial Acumen: A strong understanding of the retail and luxury goods market, with a keen intuition for product trends, brand positioning, and consumer behavior.
  • Proactive Problem-Solving: A forward-looking mindset that anticipates potential challenges in the supply chain and develops contingency plans before they become critical issues.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

  • Master's Degree in a relevant field or a professional certification (e.g., APICS, CSCP).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Supply Chain Management
  • Business Analytics
  • Finance
  • Statistics
  • Merchandising

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3-5 years of direct experience in a demand planning, inventory management, or merchandise planning role.

Preferred:

  • Experience within the jewelry, luxury goods, high-end fashion, or a similar high-SKU, trend-sensitive retail environment is highly desirable.
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