The Supply Planner plays a critical role in developing valid and realistic supply plans that balance demand, manufacturing capacity, inventory, service and other financial and strategic objectives.
This position serves as the bridge between Integrated Business Planning (IBP) outputs and plant-level Master Scheduling, ensuring alignment across functional teams such as demand planning, manufacturing, procurement, and supply chain operations.
The Supply Planner disaggregates the approved IBP supply plan into actionable components, optimizes the use of operations and supply chain resources by directing aggregated supply requirements to appropriate sources, and proactively addresses potential constraints.
Success in this role requires a strong blend of analytical, collaborative, and communication skills, as well as a solid understanding of manufacturing processes and supply chain dynamics.
Responsibilities:- Master Plan Development: Create and maintain master supply plan(s) that reflect strategic priorities, customer requirements, and supply/manufacturing capabilities.
- Supply Optimization: Optimize supply chain and operations performance using a policy-driven approach to align supply plans with the demand plan and direct volume to the appropriate sources (e.g., plants, contract manufacturers).
- Supply Capability Evaluation: Assess operations and supply chain capacity and capabilities against the approved IBP supply plan; recommend and coordinate supply adjustments to address gaps or constraints.
- Supply Aggregation & Integration: Consolidate current and planned supply inputs into a unified company-wide IBP Supply Plan, ensuring alignment with supply chain and operational strategies.
- Key Material Planning: Coordinate key material supply needs with procurement, purchasing, and production teams to ensure timely availability in line with master planning requirements.
- Production Execution Alignment: Ensure monthly supply requests in the master plan are accurately reflected in plant master schedules and/or procurement plans and schedules.
- Capability Communication: Advise the Demand Manager and other stakeholders of changes in manufacturing capabilities and their implications on demand fulfillment.
- Plant Communication & Capacity Assessment: Maintain regular dialogue with plant-level master schedulers and supply chain sourcing to understand real-time capacities and the feasibility of proposed master plan changes.
- Inventory Management: Monitor and control inventory levels to ensure they remain within company-approved thresholds while supporting service level targets.
- Backlog Management: Ensure that customer backlogs are maintained at competitive and approved levels, and take corrective actions when deviations occur.
- Cross-Functional Coordination: Partner with master schedulers at each plant as well as supply chain sourcing managers to communicate the corporate master plan clearly and ensure it becomes a formal request that informs plant and supply chain schedules and capacity planning.
- Continuous Improvement: Identify and implement process improvements to enhance the accuracy, responsiveness, and efficiency of master planning activities.
- Reporting & Analytics: Generate and analyze planning reports and KPIs to support decision-making and continuously refine planning accuracy and supply chain performance.
Key Competencies (Behavioral)- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Strong communication and presentation abilities
- Leadership and team management skills
- Ability to mentor and develop direct reports
- Strong influencing skills to drive cross-functional collaboration
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
- Detail-oriented with a focus on accuracy
- Adaptability and willingness to learn in a fast-paced environment
- Strategic thinking and ability to see the big picture
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Statistics, Engineering, or related field; MBA preferred or Associate's Degree and commensurate experience.
- Minimum 3-5 years of experience in supply planning or related roles within manufacturing organizations, including at least 3 years in a manufacturing or supply chain role
- Oliver Wight and or ASCM certification preferred
- Demonstrated experience in building and leading a high-performance team with proven track record of developing team members
- Strong track record of improving forecast accuracy and inventory performance
- Experience with leading demand planning software (e.g., SAP APO, Oracle Demantra, JDA)
- Proficiency in Salesforce CRM and its integration with demand planning processes
Working Conditions- Normal office and manufacturing facility environment. Some travel may be required, but not frequent (
