Planner Direct Materials​/Buyer

Sky Chefs is seeking a Planner Direct Materials / Buyer to ensure the timely availability of food ingredients, packaging, and supplies needed for airline catering production. In this fast-paced, safety-focused environment, you will plan material requirements, manage purchase orders, and maintain optimal inventory levels to support daily flight schedules. Working closely with culinary, production, and logistics teams, you will coordinate deliveries, resolve supply issues, and support cost-control initiatives.

This role is on-site in our catering facility, supporting reliable, high-quality service for major airline customers worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Plan and schedule direct material requirements to support inflight catering production across multiple airline customers
• Create, issue, and track purchase orders to approved suppliers, ensuring accurate quantities and on-time delivery
• Monitor inventory levels, safety stock, and lead times to prevent stockouts and minimize excess or obsolete materials
• Coordinate closely with culinary, production, and logistics teams to align material availability with flight schedules and menu changes
• Analyze demand forecasts, usage trends, and historical data to optimize purchasing decisions
• Resolve supply issues, delivery discrepancies, and quality concerns in partnership with suppliers and internal quality teams
• Maintain accurate ERP/MRP data, including item masters, planning parameters, and vendor information
• Support cost-control initiatives through vendor negotiations, consolidation of buys, and waste reduction
• Ensure compliance with aviation safety, food safety, and company procurement policies
• Prepare reports and KPIs on material availability, supplier performance, and inventory accuracy for management

Required Skills

• Materials planning
• Procurement/Purchasing
• MRP/ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Net
• Suite)
• Inventory management
• Excel and data analysis
• Demand forecasting
• Supplier relationship management
• Contract and price negotiation
• Food or aviation safety awareness
• Logistics and production coordination