Rory Mcdonough Email & Phone Number

Kirkland, Wa, Us

Kirkland, Wa, Us

Deliver strategic consulting services to retail clients, focusing on maximizing profitability and operational efficiency through tailored planning and management solutions. •Optimized Retail Planning: Developed and executed customized retail planning strategies, including demand forecasting and open-to-buy management, that consistently improved revenue and reduced client inventory holding costs. •Led Project Management Initiatives: Directed end-to-end project management for multiple clients, ensuring on-time, successful project delivery while fostering cross-functional alignment with client business goals. •Enhanced Financial Reporting: Built and refined comprehensive financial reporting systems, enabling clients to make data-informed decisions that boosted profitability and streamlined operations. •Implemented Data-Driven Demand Forecasting: Applied advanced demand forecasting models to accurately align inventory levels with market demand, reducing client stockouts and overages. •Improved End-of-Lifecycle Profitability: Designed and implemented end-of-lifecycle management strategies, driving profit through well-timed markdowns and optimized sell-through rates.

New York, Ny, Us

As Senior Director of Planning & Allocation at Blue Nile, I drove key initiatives and strategic planning efforts that contributed to substantial growth and operational efficiency across our non-engagement jewelry division. Key achievements included:• Expanding Product Mix & Margins: Spearheaded initiatives to expand non-engagement jewelry to represent 48% of the sales mix. Implemented targeted product enhancements that boosted product margin rates by 600bps. •Sales & Margin Growth: Increased sales by 13% ($73M) and product margins by 37% ($56M) by conducting data-driven analysis, phasing out underperforming products, and diversifying offerings to align with evolving customer demands. •Team Transformation & Leadership: Realigned the planning team structure to strengthen productivity and foster an ownership-driven culture, leading to higher engagement and accountability. •Global SKU Standardization: Launched Universal SKU, simplifying product structure, expediting global business analysis, and reducing error rates for enhanced operational efficiency. •Demand Forecasting Optimization: Improved demand forecasting accuracy and streamlined order flow with Blue Yonder (JDA) modules, achieving more precise inventory management and better demand alignment. •Inventory Allocation Efficiency: Increased forecast accuracy by 10% through refined models and regular performance analysis, ensuring optimal inventory allocation across key categories. •Cross-Functional Team Development: Built a cohesive, collaborative team environment emphasizing mentorship and cross-functional collaboration, resulting in a 20% boost in team retention and consistently successful project outcomes over five years.This role allowed me to leverage my strategic insight and team leadership skills to drive growth and innovation, significantly impacting revenue, margins, and overall business efficiency.

Akron, Ohio, Us

I led strategic planning initiatives and team development efforts that drove significant performance improvements and contributed to long-term growth across a $250M business spanning 150 locations. •Strategic Sales & Profit Optimization: Oversaw planning and forecasting strategies that maintained sales at $257M, reduced end-of-period (EOP) inventory by 2.7%, and sustained GMROI at 1.04. Achieved this by strategically editing unproductive merchandise and reallocating Open-to-Buy towards fresh collections, maximizing profitability. •Financial Planning Leadership: Directed financial planning and demand forecasting efforts, serving as the primary field contact to address operational challenges, provide data-driven analysis, and support streamlined planning for field teams. •Team Development & Innovation: Established a high-performance team culture by assigning each team member as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on critical projects. This approach encouraged innovation, strengthened collaboration, and empowered team members to fully own outcomes, enhancing engagement and accountability. • Heritage Promotion Success: Conceptualized and executed a 100th-anniversary promotion, introducing a heritage jewelry line that amplified brand visibility and drove a 15% increase in seasonal sales through targeted marketing and unique product offerings.

Akron, Ohio, Us

In my role as Director of Planning & Allocation for Zales, Zales Outlet, and Peoples, I led financial and demand planning efforts that optimized product mix, drove sales, and enhanced profitability across key jewelry categories. Highlights of my achievements include: •Product Mix Optimization & Inventory Efficiency: Directed product mix strategies for Solitaire Pendants & Earrings ($106M) and Men's ($91M), achieving optimal inventory turnover and meeting all sales targets through precise demand planning and strategic promotions. •Sales Target Achievement: Delivered $106M in planned sales for Pendants & Earrings by implementing targeted promotional strategies and refining assortments to align with evolving consumer preferences, resulting in a strong market response. •Collection Expansion in Canada: Expanded essential collections in Canadian stores (Peoples) by leveraging market trend analysis and customer feedback, which drove a 10% increase in category sales and reinforced brand positioning. •Profit Margin Enhancement: By implementing an end-of-lifecycle markdown strategy, we increased the margin by 60 bps in the Men's category and surpassed the revenue plan by 5%, effectively reducing overstock and maximizing profitability.

Akron, Ohio, Us

As Director of GMROI & Store Planning, I led high-impact initiatives to increase profitability and optimize store performance across Signet Jewelers. I delivered significant operational savings and improved revenue growth through strategic project management and cross-functional collaboration. •Profit-Enhancing Innovations: Developed and executed multimillion-dollar projects focused on boosting GMROI, achieving a 15% improvement in overall profitability through targeted innovations and process improvements. •Store Planning Optimization: I led the Store Planning Team to implement a store ranking system and reallocate merchandise to optimize product placement, maximizing revenue and profit through tailored, location-specific strategies. •Discount Controls Initiative: Spearheaded the Discount Controls initiative, creating policies that minimized discount abuse and saved $17M in operational costs over two years. •Bounce Back Program Success: Introduced and managed the Bounce Back program, which utilized targeted promotions to drive repeat purchases, resulting in $8.7M in additional profit within two years. •Efficient Store Expansion: Directed the on-time opening of 43 new stores, applying a second-year proforma inventory model to optimize stock levels and reduce excess, saving $1.2M in inventory costs.

Master Of Science - Ms, Management And Leadership

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Anthropology