Supply Chain Planning & Analytics Specialist

SUPPLY CHAIN PLANNING & ANALYTICS SPECIALIST

Operations / Supply Chain

Director of Operations

Bolingbrook, Illinois

Full-Time, Non-Union

None

Hybrid;
Regular On-Site Presence Required

Salary Exempt

$80,000-$85,000 Annually

Limited;
As Needed

Individual Contributor

The Supply Chain Planning & Analytics Specialist owns the analytical and planning work required to improve demand visibility, replenishment decisions, inventory investment, and operating performance. The role converts sales history, forecasts, supplier lead times, inventory positions, service requirements, and business priorities into practical recommendations for what should be stocked, when it should be replenished, and where inventory risk should be addressed.

This is an individual-contributor role that works closely with Operations, Purchasing, Inventory Control, Sales, Customer Service, Finance, and system resources. The Specialist also strengthens business continuity by automating recurring reporting, documenting critical workflows, cross-training with ERP and reporting resources, and ensuring key planning knowledge is not dependent on one individual. The position offers direct exposure to the Director of Operations and an opportunity to influence inventory strategy, forecasting, ERP reporting, automation initiatives, and operational improvement projects while developing broader supply chain capability.

Create a disciplined, data-driven planning and reporting function that improves inventory availability and working capital while reducing excess inventory, manual reporting, and dependence on individual knowledge.

• Demand Forecasting and Inventory Planning
• Own and maintain the demand-planning process using sales history, customer information, seasonality, promotions, new products, product transitions, and known business changes.
• Use Recurrency and available ERP data to develop, review, and refine forecasts and replenishment recommendations.
• Establish and maintain planning parameters, including safety stock, reorder points, min/max levels, order quantities, review frequencies, and appropriate service-level assumptions.
• Identify forecast exceptions, stockout risks, excess inventory, demand changes, and unusual consumption; coordinate timely action with Purchasing, Sales, Operations, and Inventory Control.
• Support inventory investment decisions by analyzing customer service, lead time, order economics, tariffs, working capital, and business risk and providing clear recommendations.
• Inventory Optimization and Working Capital
• Monitor inventory turns, days of supply, service levels, stockouts, backorders, excess inventory, dead stock, and inventory concentration by item, supplier, product line, and location.
• Develop reduction plans for overstock and dead stock, including transfer, consumption, return, rework, substitution, promotion, or other approved disposition strategies.
• Review supplier lead times, purchase patterns, order multiples, minimums, transit assumptions, and variability to improve replenishment settings and reduce avoidable inventory.
• Partner with Purchasing and leadership on tariff-driven planning, localization opportunities, alternate sourcing analysis, and inventory timing decisions.
• Provide clear recommendations on inventory additions, reductions, parameter changes, and exceptions requiring management decisions.
• Reporting, Analytics and Decision Support
• Own recurring supply chain and inventory reporting, including data validation, distribution, follow-up, and continuous improvement of the reporting package.
• Develop practical KPIs, dashboards, and exception reports that explain performance, risks, root causes, and required actions rather than only presenting raw data.
• Use advanced Excel and available business-intelligence tools to analyze trends, model scenarios, and support operational and leadership decisions.
• Partner with ERP and reporting resources to understand existing reports, queries, data definitions, and business logic; SQL knowledge is preferred but not required at hire.
• Maintain clear definitions and reconciliation controls so reports use consistent sources, calculations, time periods, and ownership.
• Automation, Documentation and Business Continuity
• Identify manual reports and repetitive data tasks that can be eliminated, standardized, scheduled, or automated.
• Document…