Senior Inventory Planning Manager

Microsoft’s Cloud business is expanding, and the Cloud Supply Chain (CSCP) organization is responsible for enabling the infrastructure underlying this growth including AI! CSCP’s vision is to empower customers to achieve more by delivering Cloud Capacity Differentiated at Scale. Our mission is to deliver capacity for all cloud services predictably through intelligent systems driven by continuous learning and a world class organization. The CSCP Organization is responsible for traditional supply chain functions such as Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, but also manages supportability (spares), decommissioning and disposition of Data center assets worldwide. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, Skype, OneDrive and the Microsoft Azure platform for external customers. Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 datacenters supporting services for more than 1 billion customers in over 90 countries worldwide.

Microsoft Capacity Planning (MCP) is the central planning function within CSCP focusing on forecasting, capacity planning, hardware demand planning, inventory buffer strategies, and Integrated Business Planning (IBP). The Senior Inventory Planning Manager is responsible for effectively collaborating with Cloud Services development partners, deeply understanding business goals, translating those needs into useful signals that inform long- mid- and short-term capacity plans, and providing consumable feedback signals that help inform future plans and goals. The function closely partners with Engineering, Finance, Supply Chain, Data Centers, New Product Introduction Teams, and the other Supply Chain organizations to plan capacity and hardware demand. The Inventory Buffer Planning Team in MCP aims to create the best buffer strategy for Data Center Live Capacity, ensuring optimal customer experience and cost efficiency, with scalability and clarity.

**Responsibilities**

In this role, you will play a key role to plan the buffer planning for various Microsoft Cloud services such as Azure, to ensure there will be adequate capacity to support the demand plans while staying within CapEx budget target, and to assess and improve the buffer planning strategy to address the growing business complexity.

As a Senior Inventory Planning Manager, your primary responsibilities will be (but not limited to):

+ Metrics development & control: Develop metrics to measure the effectiveness of buffer planning, conduct data analysis to identify risks and opportunities, communicate and share business intelligence with key stakeholders including leadership, and implement solutions to manage buffering levels.

+ Addressing Risks and Opportunities: Assess the current buffer planning process and mechanism, identify limitations and gaps in relation to the growing business complexity, and develop interim and long-term solutions to mitigate business risks.

+ Business requirements & alignment: Engage with key stakeholders including Capacity Planning, Engineering Group, Supply Chain and Finance, to understand new business requirements, develop and communicate solution options, and build cross-functional consensus for plans addressing those requirements.

+ Buffer Planning Model enhancement: Partner with Data Science team and beyond, to improve the buffer planning model for continuous improvement for optimization as well as to address the new business complexity.

+ Solution & Roadmap Building: Collaborate with Transformation Project Management, Data Analytics, Data Science, and Engineering to develop a plan to enhance the buffer planning process and system, and coordinate with stakeholders to implement these improvements.

+ Business Intelligence generation & decision support: Support various buffer-related inquiries from leadership and stakeholders to navigate the business decision-making, by running what-if simulations and providing clear explanations.

+ **Other**

+ Embody our culture and values .

**Qualifications**

**Required Qualifications:**

+ Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Supply Chain, Information Technology (IT), Business, Operations, Finance, Accounting, Data Science, or related field AND 4+ years supply chain, inventory management or sales operations experience, preferably in planning (demand/supply/forecasting), cloud industry experience, infrastructure, data science, and/or channel management experience

+ OR equivalent experience.

+ 2+ years of experience in statistical data analysis or statistical model development

**Other Requirements:**

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: 

+ **Microsoft Cloud Background Check:** This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

**Preferred Qualifications:**

+ Data Analysis and Visualization skills (SQL, Python, R, Power BI, Power Pivot, etc.)

+ 5+ years of experience in business presentation tools (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Power Point, Word, Power BI, etc.)

+ Program management skillsets with ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously

+ Experience and proficiency in effective communication across multiple leadership levels of an organization

+ Ability to work in an ambiguous and fast moving environment

**Demand Planning IC4** - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $94,600 - $183,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $122,000 - $200,500 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 29, 2024.

\#cscpjobs

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. Consistent with applicable law, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations (https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/accessibility.html) .