MOTYA ALI
San Francisco, CA | (415) 295-2945 | motyaali@pm.me | linkedin.com/in/motyaali
BUSINESS SYSTEMS & APPLIED AI IMPLEMENTATION
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Business systems and applied AI implementation professional with 15+ years of experience in retail planning and operational systems. My current work combines enterprise workflow implementation, user enablement, and document-grounded AI applications.
SELECTED VALUE
- Built forecasting and inventory decision processes across high-SKU environments including furniture, apparel, cosmetics, footwear, eCommerce, and multi-category retail.
- Designed practical logic for demand forecasting, replenishment, inventory reconciliation, exception routing, source synthesis, and confidence-based decision support.
- Bridged operations, planning, vendors, warehouses, finance, technology, and executive stakeholders to make information more accurate, actionable, and scalable.
- Translated complex requirements into user guides, process maps, test evidence, training materials, and decision-ready status reporting.
CORE SKILLS
- Operations & Project Administration: Workflow coordination, deliverables, permissions, records, metadata, status reporting, issue resolution, stakeholder support
- Planning & Forecasting: Demand planning, receipt planning, replenishment logic, seasonal curves, promotions, margin, inventory targets, capacity alignment
- Systems & Data: Oracle ERP, SAP, RMS, MMS, MicroStrategy, SharePoint, Power Automate, advanced Excel, data mapping, ID normalization, dashboards
- Documentation & Enablement: SOPs, user guides, process maps, role-based training, governance, testing, implementation support
- AI & Process Design: AI-assisted workflows, retrieval concepts, exception queues, decision-support systems, audit trails, human-in-the-loop controls
SELECTED IMPACT
- Improved forecast accuracy by 40% and reduced stockouts by 30% during a Gymboree system migration through data normalization, forecast logic, safety-stock thresholds, dashboards, documentation, and training.
- Directed $250M+ Kids & Baby inventory flow across 650+ Burlington stores and led an allocation team aligning inventory with capacity, demand patterns, and store performance.
- Managed $500M+ fragrance category planning at Sephora and translated sales, inventory, vendor, promotion, margin, and demand signals into executive decisions.
- Forecasted and procured $250M+ in Old Navy men's basic knits, balancing demand, promotions, receipt flow, inventory targets, margin, and lead times.
- Managed Levi's and Dockers eCommerce inventory flow and supported Amazon wholesale onboarding and online size expansion.
- Coordinated inventory flow and operational readiness for 45+ West Elm store openings in 12 months.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Computer Science Dept Aid | City College of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA | 2026 - Present
- Support department operations, student-facing communications, and coordination for Information Technology and Computer Science activities.
- Developed the CCSF AI Interview Coach with the department's Employment and Training Specialist, connecting résumé and job context to voice practice, transcripts, and coaching reports.
Project Administrator | Chaves & Associates, SFPUC Water Capital Program | San Francisco, CA | 2025 - 2026
- Supported SharePoint migration, document control, permissions, metadata, and workflow documentation for a multidisciplinary public-infrastructure program.
- Produced and maintained 6+ workflow guides and SOPs, including five role-specific deliverable-review guides, and supported permissions and access for 268+ users.
- Developed structured documentation practices that improve visibility, accountability, and process consistency.
Co-Manager (Concurrent part-time) | Salida Home Market | Salida, CA | 2020 - 2024
- Managed store operations, purchasing records, vendor coordination, inventory tracking, order follow-up, stock organization, physical counts, FIFO, and reorder needs.
Senior Merchandise Planner | Appaman | New York, NY | 2023 - 2024
- Owned P&L and inventory planning for a full brand assortment, including procurement strategy, pricing, margin management, and operational planning.
Senior Merchandise Planner, Fragrances | Sephora | San Francisco, CA | 2021 - 2023
- Managed $500M+ category P&L and forecasting and produced executive and vendor recaps translating performance into risks, opportunities, and actions.
Senior Inventory Planner, Shoes | Tailored Brands | Fremont, CA | 2019 - 2021
- Managed $100M+ footwear inventory and consolidated vendor buys to improve cost leverage and reduce COGS by up to 15% while maintaining availability.
Merchandise Planner, Men's Tees | Old Navy | San Francisco, CA | 2018 - 2019
- Forecasted and procured $250M+ in basic knit inventory, balancing demand, promotions, receipt flow, margin, and inventory targets.
Manager of Allocations, Kids & Baby | Burlington Stores | Burlington, NJ | 2017 - 2018
- Led 11 allocators managing $250M+ inventory across 650+ stores.
Manager of Allocations, Crazy 8/Janie & Jack | Gymboree | San Francisco, CA | 2014 - 2017
- Served as SME for Oracle migration, bridged sales and inventory data across systems, and trained planners on tools replacing manual Excel processes.
Senior Allocator, Levi's/Dockers eCommerce | Levi Strauss & Co. | San Francisco, CA | 2011 - 2014
- Managed eCommerce inventory flow and supported Amazon wholesale onboarding and online size expansion.
Merchandise Location Planner | Ann Taylor Factory | San Francisco, CA | 2010 - 2011
- Planned location-level inventory to align sales, margin, assortment, and store demand.
Senior Distribution Planner / Special Projects | West Elm | Brooklyn, NY | 2004 - 2010
- Coordinated furniture inventory flow, delivery timing, store-opening readiness, and cross-functional logistics for major expansion activity.
SELECTED SYSTEMS PROJECTS
- CCSF AI Interview Coach: Developed a public prototype using React, TypeScript, Express, and Google Gemini/ADK to connect document context, voice interviews, transcript export, and coaching reports.
- AI Workflow Enablement: Built five interactive browser demonstrations for meeting intelligence, document intake, status reporting, request triage, and knowledge assistance.
- SOMA Budget Planner: Built a browser application for monthly planning, spending pace, local storage, offline access, and portable backups.
- Inventory Truth Ledger: Designed an ERP/WMS/TMS reconciliation architecture that normalizes PO, ASN, receipt, QC, RTV, and milestone signals into auditable states and exception queues.
- SmartGrocer: Developed an authenticated full-stack prototype with household data isolation, purchase records, replenishment forecasts, review controls, and automated tests.
- AliOS / Unseen Lifeline: Designed structured protocols separating source evidence, reasoning, human review, execution, and continuity for high-stakes administrative workflows.
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
- Computer Science studies, in progress | City College of San Francisco
- Certificate of Achievement, Construction Administration | City College of San Francisco | 2025
- Responsible AI Foundations Professional Certificate | All Tech Is Human | 2026
- Selected IBM SkillsBuild credentials: Make Agentic AI Work for You; Team Essentials for Designing AI Solutions; Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner
- Google AI Essentials | Google