Senior Planning Analyst

As the Senior Planning Analyst, you will work directly with key stakeholders across fulfillment and corporate operations. You will be responsible for executing and optimizing the analytical tools, models, and data-driven insights that support the scaling of operations and effective demand management. Your work will directly contribute to improving customer experience while minimizing operational costs. You will collaborate closely with production teams to develop actionable plans, ensuring timely and complete delivery. By leveraging data analytics and process improvement strategies, you will drive efficiencies, monitor key performance metrics, and continuously refine processes to meet organizational goals. 

You will own the execution of the underlying tools/models and analysis that help us expand operations and manage demand to ensure the best possible customer experience at the lowest cost.  You will be a key ingredient in providing direction to production personnel to deliver a plan that is on-time and in full. 

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze business processes, identify inefficiencies, and implement data-driven improvements to optimize performance and achieve operational goals. 

• Continuously monitor and refine processes using data to foster a culture of continuous improvement. 

• Use advanced analytics to diagnose root causes of inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and performance gaps. 

• Apply insights to design and implement process improvements that enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve service delivery. 

• Coordinate plant production schedules to meet customer order demand and forecasts, ensuring timely and quality production. 

• Manage production schedules by analyzing inventory, demand, and forecasts to optimize capacity and fulfill orders. 

• Monitor inventory supply, address shortages, and manage overproduction or rework issues. 

• Plan production based on target inventory levels and customer shelf-life requirements. 

• Optimize production schedules to improve plant operations and sequencing. 

• Collaborate with Operations, Procurement, Inventory, Commercialization, and other teams on material status and production planning. 

• Oversee daily, weekly, and monthly reporting on production and inventory metrics. 

• Enhance planning and scheduling processes, gaining insights into production mix and plant operations. 

• Coordinate trial production runs, sourcing materials and ensuring timely execution. 

• Communicate production schedule changes to manufacturing, fulfillment, and logistics teams. 

• Lead production planning meetings to ensure alignment and accountability. 

• Drive performance analytics, developing strategies to address performance issues, supply chain constraints, and execution challenges. 

• Support product launch initiatives and help achieve departmental and company goals. 

• Assist in forecasting and ordering goods to support production schedules. 

• Collaborate with Procurement to address packaging and ingredient shortages. 

• Engage with internal customers on order adjustments and new product start-ups. 

• Provide backup support to other Production Planners as needed. 

• Perform other assigned duties.

Qualifications

Skills and Requirements 

• Strong verbal and written communication skills 

• Effective planning, organization, and prioritization abilities 

• Self-motivated with the capacity to work independently and collaboratively 

• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills 

• Ability to collaborate effectively with others 

• Willingness to attend educational/training sessions as needed 

• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality 

• Excellent time management skills 

• Demonstrated analytical and critical thinking abilities 

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment 

• Must be willing and able to work flexible hours (including nights, evenings and rotating weekends)
  
• Strong presentation skills and experience collaborating with stakeholders across functions 

• Process oriented, results driven and system focused 

• Knowledge of manufacturing KPIs (OTIF, UPEH, etc.) 

• Novice Understanding of MRP & ERP Systems 

• Knowledge of Cloud software systems - Warehouse Management Systems/Oracle/SAP and other Cloud based software 

• Advanced knowledge of Google Suite Products & Microsoft Office Software 

Experience / Education 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Operations Research, Supply Chain Management, Production Planning or the equivalent years of experience preferred 

• Strong analytical background with experience applying mathematical models, statistical analysis, and data-driven decision-making to business processes. 

• Experience in inventory management, production scheduling, and demand forecasting, with a focus on process optimization. 

• Some experience in creating production plans and schedules preferred. 

• Background in demand or supply planning is a plus. 

• Proficient in supply chain management and inventory control.