Materials Planner

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The Materials Planner is responsible for ensuring the timely availability of raw materials and packaging required to support production schedules and customer commitments. This role manages material requirements planning (MRP) by balancing customer demand, inventory investment, supplier performance, lead times, production capacity, and service objectives.

Operating in a complex co-manufacturing environment, the Materials Planner collaborates closely with Production Planning, Operations, Procurement, Customer Account Managers, Quality, Supply Chain, and external customers to identify risks, resolve supply constraints, and ensure materials are available to support production. The role serves as a key link between demand, supply, and manufacturing and drives continuous improvement in planning processes, inventory management, and material flow.

• Develop and maintain material requirements plans that ensure the availability of ingredients and packaging to support production schedules and customer service objectives.
• Utilize MRP and planning systems to analyze demand, inventory, lead times, supplier performance, and production requirements to generate time-phased replenishment plans.
• Monitor inventory levels and production schedules to proactively identify material shortages, excess inventory, and supply risks that may impact manufacturing or customer commitments.
• Manage planning parameters and master data within ERP and planning systems to ensure accurate planning outputs and inventory visibility.
• Coordinate material planning activities for both customer-supplied and company-procured ingredients, ensuring clear ownership and accountability for material readiness.
• Partner closely with Procurement, Operations, Customer Account Managers, Quality, Warehousing, and Supply Chain teams to ensure alignment between demand, supply, and production requirements.
• Identify, communicate, and escape material constraints, supply disruptions, and inventory risks while developing recovery plans that minimize operational and customer impact.
• Collaborate with suppliers, customers, and internal stakeholders to resolve material availability issues and support service level objectives.
• Support production readiness by coordinating material availability, quality release requirements, and inventory disposition decisions.
• Participate in Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) processes by providing material availability insights, inventory analysis, capacity considerations, and supply risk assessments.
• Evaluate demand trends, consumption patterns, and forecast changes to identify potential supply challenges and opportunities for inventory optimization.
• Provide sourcing, procurement, and operational teams with forward-looking material requirements and planning assumptions.
• Monitor key planning performance metrics including material availability, inventory accuracy, service levels, inventory turns, aging inventory, and planning effectiveness.
• Develop reports, analyses, and recommendations that support informed business decisions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Identify and implement process improvements that enhance planning accuracy, inventory visibility, material flow, and operational efficiency.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for planning systems, planning processes, and inventory management best practices.
• Provide timely and effective communication regarding material risks, inventory concerns, supplier performance issues, and recovery plans.
• Keep stakeholders and leadership informed of critical supply chain issues affecting production schedules, customer commitments, or inventory objectives.
• Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and customer focus through effective communication and partnership.

• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Attend cross functional and internal meetings as deemed appropriate
• Comply with all safety policies, practices and procedures. Report all unsafe activities to supervisor and/or Human Resources.
• Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Provide leadership to others through example and sharing of knowledge/skill

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Logistics, Engineering, or a related field required; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in material planning, demand…