ZS Associates

Strategy Insights & Planning Consultant

ZS Associates$110K — $130K *
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's/Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Business, Data Science, or a related field required, advanced degree preferred.
  • 5+ years of experience in supply chain planning, including demand planning and inventory management.
  • Hands-on experience in roles such as planner, planning supervisor, or planning manager.
  • Strong knowledge of S&OP, forecasting, capacity planning, and production strategies.
  • Experience with APS and ERP systems like SAP or Oracle Planning.
  • Proficient in translating complex planning problems into practical business solutions.
  • Strong problem-solving and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

  • Lead client workstreams in demand and supply planning, S&OP, and inventory optimization.
  • Assess and improve current planning processes to boost performance.
  • Support capacity planning initiatives, including network design.
  • Design and implement enhanced planning workflows and processes.
  • Collaborate with clients to understand their planning needs and facilitate new approaches.
  • Engage in planning technology projects involving systems like SAP IBP and Oracle Planning.
  • Develop actionable recommendations and client deliverables across various planning initiatives.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive total rewards package supporting health, well-being, and professional development.
  • Robust skills-building programs and multiple career progression pathways.
  • Flexible hybrid working model combining remote and onsite work.
  • Travel opportunities for client engagement and professional growth.
  • Inclusive culture with a commitment to diversity and belonging.
Full Job Description
ZS is seeking a Supply Chain Planning Consultant to help clients improve planning processes and decision-making across demand, supply, inventory, production, and capacity planning. This role is ideal for experienced planners who understand how planning organizations operate and can translate that experience into practical solutions for clients.

You will work across planning transformation initiatives, including demand forecasting, S&OP, supply planning, inventory optimization, production scheduling, capacity planning, and emerging AI-enabled planning solutions.

What You'll Do
  • Lead client workstreams across demand planning, forecasting, supply planning, inventory planning, production planning, scheduling, S&OP, and capacity planning.
  • Assess current planning processes and identify opportunities to improve planning effectiveness, service levels, inventory, and operational performance.
  • Support rough-cut capacity planning, network planning and design, and long-term capacity planning initiatives.
  • Apply hands-on planning experience to design and deploy improved planning processes, workflows, and ways of working.
  • Partner with planners, planning supervisors, and managers to understand business requirements and support adoption of new planning approaches.
  • Support planning technology initiatives involving APS and ERP platforms, including systems such as SAP IBP, Oracle Planning, Kinaxis, OMP, Blue Yonder, Relex, and o9, primarily from a business and end-user perspective.
  • Collaborate with Operations leaders to shape use cases for Decision Intelligence platforms like Aera, Lyric, Palantir Foundry, and similar platforms.
  • Develop recommendations and client deliverables across planning strategy, process improvement, operating models, and analytics.
  • Support advanced planning use cases such as machine learning-driven forecasting, demand and supply planning as a service, inventory segmentation and modeling, and detailed production scheduling.
  • Contribute to emerging AI and agentic solutions for demand and supply planning, S&OP, disruption management, and KPI root cause analysis
  • Manage project workstreams, client relationships, timelines, and deliverables while mentoring junior team members.


What You'll Bring
  • Bachelor's/Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Business, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related field required. Advanced degree preferred.
  • 5+ years of experience in supply chain planning, including demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, forecasting, production planning, or scheduling.
  • Hands-on experience working as a planner, planning supervisor, planning manager, or in a closely related supply chain role.
  • Strong understanding of S&OP, forecasting, inventory management, capacity planning, and production planning.
  • Experience working with APS and ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle Planning, Kinaxis, RELEX, or similar platforms.
  • Experience using planning systems as a business user and supporting planning process or technology implementations.
  • Ability to translate complex planning challenges into practical process, analytics, and technology solutions.
  • Strong problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
  • Experience leading workstreams or teams and working with cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Life sciences experience preferred, although candidates with strong planning experience in other industries will also be considered.
  • Exposure to advanced analytics, machine learning, optimization, or AI-enabled supply chain planning is a plus.
  • Fluency in English
  • Client-first mentality
  • Intense work ethic
  • Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach

How you'll grow:
  • Cross-functional skills development & custom learning pathways
  • Milestone training programs aligned to career progression opportunities
  • Internal mobility paths that empower growth via s-curves, individual contribution and role expansions


Perks & Benefits:

At ZS, your growth matters. We offer a comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well-being, financial future, time away, and professional development. With robust skills-building programs, multiple career progression paths, internal mobility, and a deeply collaborative culture, you'll have the opportunity to do meaningful work, expand your capabilities, and thrive as part of a global community. For details on total rewards in United States, visit ZS US office locations | Where we work | ZS.

Hybrid working model:

We are committed to giving our employees a flexible and connected way of working. A flexible and connected ZS allows us to combine work from home and on-site presence at clients/ZS offices for the majority of our week. The magic of ZS culture and innovation thrives in both planned and spontaneous face-to-face connections.

Travel:

Travel is a requirement at ZS for client facing ZSers; business needs of your project and client are the priority. While some projects may be local, all client-facing ZSers should be prepared to travel as needed. Travel provides opportunities to strengthen client relationships, gain diverse experiences, and enhance professional growth by working in different environments and cultures.

Considering applying?

At ZS, we honor the visible and invisible elements of our identities, personal experiences, and belief systems-the ones that comprise us as individuals, shape who we are, and make us unique. We believe your personal interests, identities, and desire to learn are integral to your success here. We are committed to building a team that reflects a broad variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. Learn more about our inclusion and belonging efforts and the networks ZS supports to assist our ZSers in cultivating community spaces and obtaining the resources they need to thrive.

If you're eager to grow, contribute, and bring your unique self to our work, we encourage you to apply.

About ZS Associates

ZS is a professional services firm that works side by side with companies to help develop and deliver products that drive customer value and company results. From R&D to portfolio strategy, customer insights, marketing and sales strategy, operations and technology, we leverage our deep industry expertise and leading-edge analytics to create solutions that work in the real world. Our most valuable asset is our people?a fact that?s reflected in our values-driven organization in which new perspectives are integral and new ideas are celebrated. ZSers are passionately committed to helping companies and their customers thrive in industries ranging from healthcare and life sciences, to high-tech, financial services, travel and transportation, and beyond.
Learn more about ZS Associates
Size
10,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1983

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