Director Sales Operations Planning

TITLE: Director, Sales & Operations Planning

DIVISION/DEPARTMENT: Purchasing

REPORTS TO: VP of Purchasing

FLSA CLASSIFICATION: Full-Time, Exempt

Gold Star Foods is the leading food distributor to K-12 schools in the United States. We are a company devoted to providing our customers with incredible customer service. We know that it is our teammates who make the difference! Join our team and find out what it is like to work somewhere where you enjoy getting up for work every day!

POSITION OVERVIEW:

GS Foods Group is seeking a Director of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) to own and lead the enterprise demand–supply planning process. This role serves as the primary enterprise mechanism and catalyst for balancing growth, service, inventory, and cash.

The Director of S&OP owns the quality, discipline, and outcomes of demand–supply decisions that directly impact customer service, inventory exposure, and working capital. This leader will serve as the integrator across Commercial, Operations, Procurement, and Finance—translating demand signals and operational constraints into executable supply and inventory plans while proactively identifying and escalating risks.

This role is critical to improving OTIF, inventory productivity, and working capital performance while supporting profitable growth. The position requires strong executive communication skills, cross-functional leadership, and the ability to influence without direct authority.

PRINCIPLE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Own and lead the end-to-end S&OP process, including demand review, supply review, and executive alignment forums.
• Drive and enforce cross-functional decisions on demand–supply trade-offs.
• Translate commercial demand plans and operational constraints into executable supply, inventory, and procurement plans.
• Identify, quantify, and escalate material risks and gaps with clear scenarios, impacts, and recommended actions.
• Hold functions accountable to S&OP commitments, assumptions, and execution outcomes.
• Continuously improve S&OP governance, cadence, analytical rigor, and decision-making discipline.
• Serve as the enterprise integrator across Commercial, Operations, Procurement, and Finance.
• Improve OTIF performance, inventory productivity, and working capital through disciplined planning.
• Escalate unresolved trade-offs and misalignment directly to executive leadership with clear recommendations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED SKILLS:

• Deep expertise in demand planning, supply planning, inventory management, and capacity trade-offs.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional planning processes and executive-level forums.
• Strong analytical capability with demonstrated ability to translate complex data into clear insights and actionable recommendations.
• Executive presence with strong communication skills and the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Strategic thinker with strong operational acumen and financial understanding (inventory exposure, working capital, cash impact).
• Experience improving service levels, inventory productivity, and working capital performance.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

• 5+ years of experience in S&OP, supply chain planning, operations, or procurement within food service distribution, wholesale, or complex B2B environments.
• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Individuals may need to sit or stand as needed. May require walking primarily on a level surface for periods throughout the day.

Reaching above shoulder heights, below the waist, or lifting as required to file documents or store materials throughout the workday. Proper lifting…