New 
Inventory Planning Manager
 Microsoft | |
 United States, Washington, Redmond | |
 Sep 26, 2025 | |
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OverviewMicrosoft's Cloud business is expanding, and the Cloud Supply Chain (CSCP) organization is responsible for enabling the hardware infrastructure underlying this growth including AI! CSCP's vision is to empower customers to achieve more by delivering Cloud and AI capabilities at scale. Our mission is to deliver the world's computer with an industry-leading supply chain. The CSCP organization is responsible for traditional supply chain functions such as plan, source, make, deliver, but also manages supportability (spares), sustainability, and decommissioning of datacenter assets worldwide. We deliver the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft's over 200 online businesses including Bing, MSN, Office 365, Xbox Live, OneDrive and the Microsoft Azure platform for external customers. Our infrastructure is supported by more than 300 datacenters around the world that enable services for more than 1 billion customers in over 90 countries.Microsoft Cloud Planning (MCP) is the central planning function within CSCP focused on forecasting, demand planning, and supply planning for all Microsoft Cloud services and associated hardware, directly impacting the success of Microsoft's cloud business.Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.
Responsibilities Buffer target planning & optimization: Lead monthly planning cycles to generate and publish optimal buffer targets by executing planning models, conducting analysis, providing explanations to stakeholders to build an alignment, and implementing changes to improve buffer plan. Buffer planning continuous improvement: Drive continuous improvement of buffer planning models and processes by partnering with cross-functional teams, such as Server Planning, Engineering Group, Finance and Data Science, to align on evolving business needs and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions. Addressing capacity 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. * 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 * 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. | |