Caitlin is available for hire
Hire CaitlinCaitlin Santero
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Santa Cruz, United States
Toptal member since August 12, 2026
Bio
Caitlin has spent 15 years building demand planning and operations excellence across consumer goods and retail. Her toolkit centers on SAP, IBM Planning Analytics, and Power BI. While at Mountain Hardwear, Caitlin reduced excess stock by $5+ million and automated workflows, eliminating 100 hours of manual work annually.
Career Highlights
Principal Planning Analyst, Corporate Revenue
Mountain Hardwear (Columbia Sportswear Company)
Senior Demand Planner
Bose Corporation
Certification Highlights
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
Air Academy Associates & Bose Corporation
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
Other Expertise
- BI Reporting
- Continuous Improvement
- Inventory Optimization
- Revenue Growth
- Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)
- Supply Chain Operations
- Value Stream Mapping
Work Experience
Principal Planning Analyst, Corporate Revenue
2013 - 2025
Mountain Hardwear (Columbia Sportswear Company)
- Directed the North American multichannel revenue and demand forecasting process, establishing continuous improvement parameters to protect margins and secure product availability during volatile economic cycles.
- Guided the S&OP process, translating commercial insights, promotions, and product lifecycles into measurable inputs for long-range financial and operational demand plans.
- Developed robust opportunity and risk scenario models and predictive forecasting tools, synthesizing complex market indicators to present alternative strategic directions during executive business reviews.
- Owned end-to-end open-to-buy plans and engineered a scalable data modeling tool that optimized inventory health, reducing excess stock by $5+ million while maximizing gross margins across omnichannels.
- Coached and developed a team of three junior planning analysts, establishing a high-performance culture, defining scalable processes, and fostering data-driven execution.
- Acted as a superuser for SAP ERP implementation and championed the migration from legacy systems to IBM Planning Analytics, driving systems design, user training, and advanced data management adoption.
- Automated preseason tracking workflows by combining Lean Six Sigma methodologies with advanced data tools, eliminating 100 hours of manual friction annually and shifting team focus toward predictive analysis.
Focus areas: SAP, Lean Six Sigma, Supply & Demand, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Process Flows, Thought Leadership, Presentations, Revenue Strategy, Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Power BI, Finance, Inventory Optimization, Demand Forecasting, Sales Planning, BI Reporting, KPI Frameworks, KPI Tracking, Key Performance Metrics, Board Advisory, CFO Advisory, Revenue Growth, Revenue Modeling, Revenue Analysis, eCommerce, Retail Strategy, Excel VBA, SQL, Team Mentoring, Six Sigma Processes, Continuous Improvement, DMAIC, Operational Transformation (OT), Forecast Accuracy, Logistics & Supply Chain, Demand Planning, Integrated Sales & Operational Planning, Long-range Plans, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Process Mapping, Business Process Automation, SOP Development, SAP ERP, Cognos TM1, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business Planning, Reporting, Supply Chain Operations, Communication, People Management, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Forecasting
Inventory Planner
2012 - 2013
Gap Inc.
- Drove 10% category growth for the retail outlet division by leveraging trend analysis to execute in-season pricing strategies and optimization plans that minimized inventory liability.
- Tracked and reported key metrics, using statistical analysis of stock-to-sales ratios and consumer indicators to refine future demand plans and global assortment strategies.
- Cultivated internal talent by mentoring an inventory analyst, providing core training on allocation metrics, distribution decisions, and career development.
Focus areas: Inventory Optimization, Analysis, Retail Merchandising, Team Mentoring, Reporting, Excel VBA, Continuous Improvement, Sales Planning, DMAIC, BI Reporting, KPI Tracking, Revenue Growth, Retail Strategy, Forecast Accuracy, Logistics & Supply Chain, Merchandise Analytics, Integrated Sales & Operational Planning, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Presentations, Supply & Demand, Supply Chain Operations, Key Performance Metrics, Communication, People Management, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Forecasting
Senior Demand Planner
2010 - 2012
Bose Corporation
- Designed and deployed an automated, scalable statistical demand forecasting tool that drove a 30% improvement in forecast accuracy and a 50% efficiency gain for the category.
- Managed a rolling 18-month demand plan to ensure operational readiness for New Product Introductions, integrating sales and marketing campaign data to lead consensus building during monthly S&OP cycles.
- Championed a cross-functional Lean initiative using value stream mapping to overhaul the monthly planning cycle, saving three days per cycle and optimizing collaboration between demand and supply planning teams.
Focus areas: Demand Forecasting, Microsoft Excel, Six Sigma Processes, Value Stream Mapping, Continuous Improvement, Workshop Facilitation, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Excel VBA, Sales Planning, Kaizen, DMAIC, BI Reporting, KPI Tracking, Revenue Growth, Revenue Modeling, Retail Strategy, Forecast Accuracy, Logistics & Supply Chain, Demand Planning, Integrated Sales & Operational Planning, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Process Mapping, Business Process Automation, SOP Development, SAP ERP, SAP Advanced Planner & Optimizer (APO), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Presentations, Supply & Demand, Analysis, Reporting, Supply Chain Operations, Key Performance Metrics, Communication, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Forecasting
Demand Planner
2008 - 2010
Mountain Hardwear (Columbia Sportswear Company)
- Owned the style- and color-level seasonal demand forecast for the equipment product line in the US region, working closely with finance, merchandising, and operations to maximize service levels.
- Managed the finished goods flow plan across all categories, optimizing inventory turns and supply chain parameters via daily collaboration with production and vendor teams.
- Promoted from buyer to supply planner, then to demand planner, gaining experience across various points within the planning value chain.
Focus areas: Demand Forecasting, Analysis, Supply & Demand, Supply Chain Operations, Logistics & Supply Chain, Microsoft Excel, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Sales Planning, Excel VBA, BI Reporting, KPI Tracking, Revenue Growth, Forecast Accuracy, Integrated Sales & Operational Planning, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Presentations, Reporting, Key Performance Metrics, Communication, Forecasting
Education
1999 - 2003
Bachelor's Degree in Communication
University of California, Davis (UCD) - Davis, CA, USA
Certifications
JULY 2012 - PRESENT
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification
Air Academy Associates & Bose Corporation
Skills
Finance
Forecasting, Revenue Modeling
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint
Industry Expertise
Lean Six Sigma
Data & Analysis Software
Tableau, SQL
Other
Demand Forecasting, Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), Analysis, Continuous Improvement, Revenue Growth, Demand Planning, SAP, Value Stream Mapping, Excel VBA, Supply & Demand, Process Flows, Thought Leadership, Presentations, Revenue Strategy, Microsoft Power BI, Inventory Optimization, Retail Merchandising, Team Mentoring, Reporting, Six Sigma Processes, Workshop Facilitation, Supply Chain Operations, Logistics & Supply Chain, Sales Planning, Kaizen, DMAIC, BI Reporting, KPI Frameworks, KPI Tracking, Key Performance Metrics, Revenue Analysis, eCommerce, Retail Strategy, Communication, Social Sciences, Operational Transformation (OT), Forecast Accuracy, Business Process Improvement (BPI), Merchandise Analytics, Integrated Sales & Operational Planning, Long-range Plans, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Process Mapping, Business Process Automation, SOP Development, SAP ERP, SAP Advanced Planner & Optimizer (APO), Cognos TM1, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business Planning, People Management, Finance, Board Advisory, CFO Advisory
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