Inventory Manager; Planner​/Buyer

Position:
Inventory Manager (Planner/Buyer)

Location:

Hybrid - Ypsilanti, MI

Schedule:

Full time, exempt
Compensation: $60-$80k per year

Benefits & Perks:
Paid time off, paid holidays, monthly health stipend

Ballard House is a founder‑led ecommerce company that partners with established brands to scale Amazon operations using our in‑house logistics, content creation, and advertising infrastructure. Founded in 2017, we began as an Amazon reseller and transitioned to brand partnerships in 2023, bringing operational excellence to a portfolio of eight to nine‑figure brands. We’re hiring an Inventory Manager (Planner/Buyer) to fully own demand forecasting, inventory levels and ordering decisions for our partner brands.

Responsibilities include forecasting marketplace demand at the SKU level, lead‑time management, purchase order creation, stock level monitoring, and managing supply chain assistants. Your job is to maintain optimal stock levels across our catalog, collaborate with brand partners to solve supply‑chain constraints, and contribute to scalable systems that provide visibility and control.

• Own day‑to‑day supply chain execution across assigned brands, including purchase order tracking, vendor follow‑up, warehouse coordination, and replenishment workflows.
• Develop and manage 3, 6, and 9 month ordering strategies tailored to brand goals.
• Lead independently or join brand calls related to solving supply‑chain challenges.
• Monitor sales velocity, stock levels, and upcoming replenishment needs to prevent stockouts and overstocks.
• Track liquidations and product launches cross‑functionally with the brand management team.
• Manage and train supply chain VA(s), including task assignment, quality control, follow‑up, and recurring workflow improvement.
• Work directly with COO on process improvement within the department.
• Create, improve, and maintain supply chain related SOPs.
• Coordinate freight quotes for inbound and outbound shipments in tandem with the warehouse team.
• Stay curious and build practical working knowledge of Amazon operations, inventory management, ecommerce workflows, and internal systems.

• 2–5 years of experience in ecommerce operations, supply chain logistics, or another detail‑heavy execution role.
• Comfortable working with spreadsheets, task lists, dashboards, and operational data.
• Clear written and verbal communicator who can document decisions and keep people aligned.
• Able to manage VA(s) or junior support team members with clarity and accountability.
• Strong problem‑solving instincts. You help figure out what needs to happen next rather than just report an issue.

• You notice when nobody owns the next step.
• You love the puzzle of putting together factory‑to‑shelf timelines.
• You like turning a messy workflow into something cleaner, faster, and easier to repeat.
• You are comfortable holding people accountable without creating awkwardness.
• You enjoy working behind the scenes and making the whole team better.
• You are energized by operations, logistics, systems, and execution.
• You balance urgency with accuracy.
• You are not intimidated by learning a new industry, platform, or tool.
• You believe that “I’ll take care of it” should actually mean something.

• Want a client‑facing account management role.
• Need every process to be perfectly documented before you can move.
• Get overwhelmed when several projects are moving at once.
• Avoid direct follow‑up because you don’t want to bother people.
• Think supply chain, reporting, and process work is boring admin work.
• Are uncomfortable managing offshore or remote support team members.
• Prefer to wait for instructions instead of identifying the next logical step.
• Want a fully remote role.

• Paid time off and paid holidays.
• Work with founders and leadership daily.
• Tools and training to help you grow in ecommerce and operations.
• Hybrid, work from home opportunities.
• A team that moves fast, wins together, and doesn’t tolerate drama.

In addition, we provide a monthly health stipend to support coverage until we transition to a full healthcare and retirement package.

Ballard House provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.