Job Application for Senior Manager, Planning at Babylist

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Who We Are

Babylist is the leading registry, e-commerce, and content platform for growing families. More than 9 million people shop with Babylist every year, making it the go-to destination for seamless purchasing, trusted guidance, and expert product recommendations for new parents and the people who love them. What began as a universal registry has grown into a full ecosystem for new parents, including the Babylist Shop, Babylist Health, and a flagship showroom in Los Angeles. Hundreds of brands in baby and beyond partner with Babylist to engage meaningfully with families during one of life’s most important transitions. With over $1 billion in annual GMV, and more than $500 million in 2024 revenue, Babylist is reshaping the $320 billion baby product industry. We’re helping parents feel confident, connected, and cared for at every step. As we build the generational brand in baby, our mission remains simple: to connect growing families with everything they need to thrive.To learn more, visit www.babylist.com.

Our Ways of Working

Babylist is remote-first with team members across the U.S. and Canada who move fast, think smart, and use AI as part of how they work every day — not as an experiment, as an expectation. We come together twice a year to build the relationships behind the work, and we hire people who are genuinely excited about what's possible and prove it through how they show up.

What the Role Is

As a Divisional Senior Planning Manager at Babylist, you’ll own the financial and inventory strategy for a full division of our e-commerce business—directly shaping how we invest, where we take risk, and how we deliver for millions of families. This is a leadership role within Planning where you’re accountable not just for hitting your numbers, but for how decisions get made. You’ll set the standard for how planning shows up as a strategic partner to Merchandising and a driver of company performance.

Your day-to-day sits at the intersection of analytics, judgment, and influence. You’ll lead your team through forecasting, OTB, and in-season management, while personally engaging in the highest-leverage decisions—where to lean in, where to pull back, and how to respond when the business shifts. You’ll operate in close partnership with Merchandising, bringing a clear point of view and engaging in real debate to get to better outcomes. At the same time, you’ll work across Finance, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure plans hold up in execution—not just in spreadsheets.

This role requires strong perspective and comfort with ambiguity. If you’ve primarily executed within well-defined planning frameworks, relied on historical trends without challenging them, or avoided tension in cross-functional decision-making, this will be a difficult seat. You’ll be expected to step in, raise the level of thinking, and influence beyond your direct scope—even when the answer isn’t obvious.

Who You Are

8+ years in merchandise planning, inventory planning, or retail finance, with direct ownership of a department or division-level P&L (sales, margin, inventory, OTB)
3+ years managing planners, including hiring and developing high-performing teams (at least 2 direct reports) and raising the bar on planning capability
Deep expertise in retail math, forecasting, and inventory management, including OTB ownership, in-season reforecasting, and inventory turn optimization
Proven ability to influence Merchandising leaders on assortment, pricing, and investment decisions, bringing a clear, data-backed point of view—not just reporting performance
Experience leading cross-functional, cross-divisional initiatives that changed how planning operates (process, tools, or ways of working)
Strong command of planning tools and data environments (e.g., advanced Excel, plus systems like Anaplan, Netsuite, SAP, or similar)—able to independently diagnose performance and translate it into decisions
Experience operating across multiple inventory models (owned and drop-ship) and adjusting strategy based on category dynamics like lead times and product lifecycle
Comfortable in high-growth, evolving e-commerce or omnichannel environments where you’re expected to build while operating and make decisions without perfect data
You're genuinely excited about what AI can do - not just as a concept, but as something you want to get your hands on. At Babylist, every team uses AI daily, and we're looking for people who lean in

How You Will Make An Impact

Own the end-to-end financial and inventory strategy for your division, setting direction across sales, margin, inventory, and turns in line with company goals
Lead the monthly OTB process, framing tradeoffs and recommendations that directly influence leadership decisions on investment and risk
Define and evolve divisional inventory and replenishment strategies, improving in-stock rates, inventory flow, and working capital efficiency in partnership with Supply Chain
Act as the planning counterpart to Merchandising, shaping assortment and pricing decisions through clear, data-backed perspectives and healthy debate
Identify risks and opportunities through weekly performance analysis, driving timely, cross-functional actions that change business outcomes
Build pre-season financial plans that translate assortment vision into clear, executable targets across categories, classes, and key items
Lead cross-functional initiatives that improve forecasting accuracy, streamline planning workflows, and scale the function as the business grows
Develop and coach a team of planners, elevating analytical rigor, business judgment, and ownership across the team
Raise the bar for Planning beyond your division by introducing better frameworks, tools, and ways of working that improve how decisions get made across the organization

About Compensation

We use a market-based approach to compensation. The starting salary range for this role is:

$140,685 to $168,905

Your starting salary will be based on your location, experience, and qualifications, with increases over time tied to performance, role growth, and internal pay equity.

Why You Will Love Working At Babylist

Our Culture

We work with focus and intention, then step away to recharge
We believe in exceptional management and invest in tools and opportunities to connect with colleagues
We build products that positively impact millions of people's lives
AI is intentionally embedded in how we work, create, and scale—supporting innovation and impact

Growth & Development

Competitive pay and meaningful opportunities for career advancement
We believe technology and data can solve hard problems
We're committed to career progression and performance-based advancement

Compensation & Benefits

Competitive salary with equity and bonus opportunities
Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
Retirement savings plan with company matching and flexible spending accounts
Generous paid parental leave and PTO
Remote work stipend to set up your office
Perks for physical, mental, and emotional health, parenting, childcare, and financial planning

Important Notices

Interview Process & Consent
Babylist uses AI to record and transcribe all interviews for evaluation purposes in accordance with CCPA and GDPR. By participating in an interview, you consent to this recording and transcription.

Interview Integrity
During the interview process, we're evaluating your individual problem-solving skills, creativity, and approach to challenges. While AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Cursor are part of your daily toolkit once you join Babylist, all interviews, assessments, and take-home assignments must be completed independently.

You may not use AI tools, third-party services, coaching platforms, or content-farming services during any part of the interview process unless we explicitly permit it. We will clearly communicate when AI tools are allowed for specific assessments.

Any indication of third-party assistance or AI-generated responses will result in immediate disqualification. We may also verify educational credentials through third-party sources—providing false or misleading information will result in removal from consideration.

Official Communication
All communication will come only from the Babylist Talent Team via an @babylist.com email address. We will never request payment, bank information, or personal financial details. Be cautious of fraudulent outreach via non-company email addresses, messaging platforms (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram), or unsolicited phone calls. Verify legitimate opportunities on our careers page.

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Senior Manager, Planning

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