Job SummaryThe Director, Supply Chain Planning - North America is responsible for leading the North America Supply Chain Planning organization, including Supply Planning, Inventory Planning, and Purchasing.
This role will own the end-to-end planning process for the North America business, ensuring strong alignment between commercial demand, supply capabilities, purchasing requirements, inventory strategy, and customer needs.
The Director will establish a disciplined planning and S&OP cadence, drive cross-functional alignment, and provide clear visibility into supply, capacity, inventory, and purchasing requirements. The role will work closely with North America Commercial, Service, Finance, Operations, Logistics, Global Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and other regional teams.
As the North America Supply Chain organization evolves, the scope of this role is expected to expand over time to include broader regional Supply Chain responsibilities, as the organization and operating model mature.
Key ResponsibilitiesEssential Duties and Responsibilities1. Demand Planning - Act as the key Supply Chain counterpart to Commercial for demand planning for capital equipment, consumables, and other relevant product categories.
- Provide Supply Chain inputs on demand trends, historical performance, inventory, capacity, and supply constraints.
2. Supply & Master Planning- Lead the North America supply planning and master planning process.
- Translate the consensus demand plan into supply requirements by product, location, and time period.
- Identify supply constraints, capacity gaps, material risks, and potential customer-service impacts.
- Develop supply scenarios and mitigation plans in collaboration with Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain, and Procurement.
- Partner closely with Manufacturing plants and other global supply organizations to align production capacity, supply allocation, and replenishment requirements.
- Establish clear planning parameters and decision-making processes for constrained supply situations.
3. Purchasing & Material Planning- Lead the North America Purchasing function and ensure purchasing activities are aligned with the approved supply and inventory plans.
- Establish appropriate purchasing strategies, planning parameters, and supplier replenishment requirements.
- Ensure timely release and management of purchase orders based on MRP, demand, supply, and inventory requirements.
- Monitor supplier delivery performance and proactively address material availability risks.
- Partner with suppliers and internal stakeholders to manage lead times, shortages, expedite requirements, and purchase order changes.
- Establish clear ownership between Supply Planning and Purchasing while ensuring seamless execution from planning through material availability.
- Drive purchasing process improvements, standardization, and appropriate use of SAP/MRP tools.
4. Inventory Planning & Optimization- Develop and maintain inventory strategies aligned with customer service, business growth, and working-capital objectives.
- Establish appropriate safety stock, buffer stock, and inventory target policies.
- Monitor inventory levels, excess and obsolete inventory, slow-moving inventory, and inventory risks.
- Drive inventory optimization initiatives while maintaining appropriate customer service levels.
- Develop inventory projections and provide visibility into future inventory requirements and working-capital implications.
- Establish clear governance for excess inventory and inventory disposition decisions.
5. S&OP Leadership- Support North America regional S&OP process implementation by leading the monthly S&OP meeting.
- Establish a disciplined planning cadence across relevant functions.
- Drive cross-functional alignment on supply, capacity, inventory, and business risks.
- Facilitate decision-making on key demand/supply gaps and required mitigation actions.
- Provide executive-level visibility into the North America demand and supply outlook.
- Ensure S&OP decisions are translated into executable planning and purchasing actions.
6. Planning Process & Governance- Establish standardized planning processes, tools, KPIs, and governance across North America.
- Improve planning accuracy, visibility, responsiveness, and data quality.
- Partner with the Global Supply Chain organization to standardize planning processes and operating cadence across regions.
- Drive continuous improvement and automation of planning and purchasing processes.
- Leverage SAP/MRP and other planning tools to improve visibility, efficiency, and decision-making.
7. Cross-Functional & Regional Supply Chain Leadership- Partner closely with North America Commercial, Service, Finance, Operations, Logistics, Procurement, Global Supply Chain, and Manufacturing teams.
- Establish a fact-based and collaborative approach to resolving supply chain issues.
- Balance customer requirements, revenue objectives, supply capabilities, inventory, working capital, and operational constraints.
- Act as the primary North America Supply Chain Planning representative within the Global Supply Chain organization.
- Develop and strengthen planning and purchasing capabilities within the North America organization.
- Help establish the foundation for a broader Regional Supply Chain operating model as the organization evolves.
Qualifications Education☒ Bachelor's degree required
Specific Area of Study: Supply Chain, Operations, Business, Logistics, or a related field. Master's degree or MBA preferred.
Experience☒ 10+ years relevant experience
Specific Related Experience: 10+ years of progressive supply chain, logistics, or operations experience, including people leadership responsibility. Experience partnering with global manufacturing teams and supporting a commercial organization is preferred, as is experience in medical device, healthcare, capital equipment, or another regulated industry.
Skills- Proven supply chain leadership across planning, logistics, inventory, fulfillment, and cross-border operations.
- Strong SAP S/4 or comparable ERP experience, with the ability to translate data into action.
- Strong cross-functional leadership in a complex global matrix organization.
- Strong communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills, including the ability to influence and present to executive leadership.
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability, with a continuous improvement mindset.
Physical DemandsThe physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
☒ Sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.
☒ Stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
☒ Other; Ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 15% as business needs require.
