Polymers Inventory Planning Manager

Polymers Inventory Planning Division Lead

Supply Chain is a customer‑focused Center of Excellence providing industry‑leading service while delivering differential value to the business, today and into the future. As a member of our dynamic Supply Chain team, you will play a critical leadership role in setting the strategy, priorities, and operating rhythm for the Polymers Inventory Planning division. In this contributing‑through‑others role, you will lead the organization, including one supervisor, indirect Inventory Planning reports, and direct Product Line Planner reports, with accountability for aligning team structure, capabilities, metrics, and processes to deliver best‑in‑class inventory management, service, cost, and cash performance.

This position reports to the Sr. Manager of Supply Chain Operations – Inventory Planning and is located at our North American Headquarters in the Houston‑Galleria area (William Tower). The position offers a competitive base salary, bonus, 401(k) matching, generous benefits package, pension plan, parking subsidy and employee discounts.

Strategy, Leadership, and Team Direction

• Lead the Polymers Inventory Planning division, including one Inventory Planning supervisor and Product Line Planners.
• Manage the inventory planning team to support forecasting and planning to accommodate customer shipments, utilizing appropriate inventory planning systems and optimizing transportation modes, as applicable.
• Act as a liaison with Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, Logistics, Operations Planning, and Quality to support inventory planning activities.
• Translate business needs into inventory priorities, resource plans, and team direction.

People Leadership and Organizational Capability

• Recruit, coach, and develop talent to strengthen capability, succession, and performance.
• Set clear goals and expectations while fostering accountability, development, and ownership.
• Build an engaged, collaborative, and continuous‑improvement‑focused culture.

Operating Model, Governance, and Structure

• Own the team operating model, including roles, escalation paths, decision rights, cadence, standard work, and governance.
• Balance workload, coverage, and support models as business priorities shift.
• Maintain policies, procedures, documentation, controls, and compliance requirements.

Metrics, Performance Management, and Business Insights

• Build and manage metrics, scorecards, and routines for inventory health, service, cost, exceptions, and working capital.
• Support budget, cost, KPI, and performance analysis tied to planning decisions.
• Communicate risks, tradeoffs, recommendations, and decisions to stakeholders.

Cross-Functional Execution and Issue Resolution

• Lead issue resolution, root cause analysis, and corrective actions for planning, service, quality, or execution gaps.
• Partner cross‑functionally to monitor performance trends, identify improvements, and support business objectives.

Technology, Continuous Improvement, and Change Management

• Lead technology, automation, and reporting improvements that increase visibility and decision quality.
• Lead change for process, system, metric, structure, and inventory planning initiatives.
• Model Lyondell Basell competencies and build leadership capability for future business needs.

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in supply chain, inventory planning, production planning, logistics, manufacturing, or related operations.
• Demonstrated leadership experience, including direct people leadership or significant cross‑functional leadership of planning, transformation, or operational improvement initiatives.
• Working knowledge of inventory management, supply planning, order fulfillment, production constraints, service level performance, working capital, and cost tradeoffs.
• Experience using ERP, planning, reporting, or data analysis tools to support operational decision‑making; SAP experience is preferred.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and decision‑making skills with the ability to translate large data sets and business inputs into clear actions, risks, and recommendations.
• Excellent interpersonal, stakeholder management, and…