Inventory Accounting Manager

Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is a global leader in the design, marketing and distribution of premium lifestyle products in five categories: apparel, accessories, home, fragrances, and hospitality. For more than 50 years, Ralph Lauren’s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently developed across an expanding number of products, brands and international markets. The company’s brand names, which include Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Collection, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Polo Ralph Lauren, Double RL, Lauren Ralph Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren Children, and Chaps, constitute one of the world’s most widely recognized families of consumer brands. At Ralph Lauren, we unite and inspire the communities within our company as well as those we serve by amplifying voices and perspectives to create a culture of belonging, ensuring inclusion and fairness for all. We foster this culture through Talent, Education & Communication, Employee Groups and Celebration. Ralph Lauren seeks an experienced Inventory Accounting Manager to join the North America Financial Operations organization, responsible for maintaining integrity, efficient flow and accurate reporting for all inventory and closely related ledgers across Wholesale, Retail and DTC channels. This position reports to the Director (Lead) of Inventory Accounting & Control. The successful candidate will have 5‑6+ years of progressive responsibility within an accounting or financial operations team with a focus on inventory valuation (costing, variance analysis, reserves, etc.), inventory lifecycle, flow transactions, reporting and systems. Strong preference for experience within an inventory‑driven retail or consumer goods organization and prior people‑management experience. Responsibilities Manage, coach and develop a team of two (one senior accountant and one senior analyst) while demonstrating RL corporate values. Support continuous improvement initiatives within inventory accounting processes, including standardization and efficiency improvements. Act as escalation point for day‑to‑day inventory accounting issues. Review gross inventory and in‑transit balances monthly across wholesale and retail systems and raise any discrepancies. Develop and maintain an inventory flash to report to the Director of Inventory Accounting & Control. Establish in‑depth understanding of cost component analysis to support margin visibility. Review various vertical sales elimination entries prepared by the team and provide guidance, feedback and troubleshooting. Review PPV variance analysis, identifying root causes and key drivers, and consider how inventory valuation may be impacted. Review wholesale/retail PPV forecasts and present or support leadership as needed. Own net realizable value (NRV) analysis and calculation as part of inventory valuation and reserve processes. Partner with Merchandising, Supply Chain and FP&A to obtain a well‑developed understanding of inventory position, ensuring valuation risks are reflected in reserves. Assist in identifying slow‑moving, obsolete or excess inventory exposures across channels. Prepare and present inventory reserve calculations quarterly to leadership. Ensure consistency and accuracy of NRV methodologies across brands and product categories. Complete assigned month‑end financial closing tasks and provide requested data for periodic forecasts. Communicate clearly with internal stakeholders across Supply Chain, FP&A, Procurement, Logistics, etc. Demonstrate strong ownership, attention to detail and a solutions‑oriented mindset. Respond to internal and external audit requests and SOX compliance controls in a timely manner. Complete ad hoc analysis as assigned. Qualifications Business‑centric BS degree, Accounting, Finance or a closely related data‑based business application. 5‑6+ years of progressive responsibility in accounting or financial operations with an understanding of inventory integrity, flows, transactional systems and reporting within a retail or consumer goods environment. Comfortable working with large data sets utilizing query, reporting and summarization features within Excel, BI tools or SAP. Partner with team members to complete thought‑provoking assignments with a cross‑functional approach. Offer guidance and oversight for senior‑level team members. Contribute to root‑cause analysis, offering constructive feedback and opportunities for improvement. Build effective relationships and engage in healthy conflict to resolve challenges across levels and stakeholders, influencing change. Demonstrated experience with inventory/accounting systems such as SAP (preferred), Oracle JDE, Microsoft AX and Island Pacific. Communicate concisely and with integrity to summarize detailed processes or challenges. #J-18808-Ljbffr Ralph Lauren