Sr. Production Planner

The Opportunity:

Avantor is looking for a Sr. Production Planner to plan, schedule and monitor the movement of material through the production cycle. The Planner determines material requirements from engineering and production schedules, coordinates the efficient movement of materials with purchasing, production and engineering, and develops specifications for new contract orders.

This role will be a full-time onsite position at our Paris, KY facility. You will also have the opportunity to be responsible for business system data input and integrity and to create and maintain bills of material and parts/commodities numbers in supply chain management or other enterprise-wide systems.

Sign-on Bonus: $7,500.00

• Education: College degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Management, or other applicable discipline; MBA desirable
• Experience: 4-5+ years supply chain experience with enterprise level planning
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience with APO or similar forecasting tools highly desirable.
  • APICS/CPIM certification desirable.
  • Global Supply Chain experience a plus.
  • Formal problem-solving training desirable, i.e., Six Sigma

• Apply analytical and statistical techniques to develop a tactical demand forecast and replenishment plan supporting key product lines and/or customer segments.
• Determine optimal inventory position for each SKU/ stocking location. Maximize VWRs investment in inventory.
• Analyze data and make recommendations on increasing/decreasing inventory targets; establish ideal safety stock targets.
• Participate in inventory planning activities including, but not limited to, ownership and maintenance of supply planning models and/or ERP planning system.
• Support monthly Sales and Operations Planning process efforts.
• Apply appropriate mathematical and statistical tools to resolve business issues.
• Partner with Finance and Purchasing Teams to project, track and control Excess and Obsolete.
• Inventory levels. Prepare purchasing and inventory forecasts and financial projections. Analyze variances between actual and budgeted/forecasted activity.
• Partner with purchasing team to ensure monthly, quarterly purchasing and inventory plans are met.
• Partner with Marketing, Advanced Operations and Product Development in the forecasting and coordination of both legacy products and new product launches and ensuring forecast/new product launches are properly input into planning models. Analyze the predicted impact of new supplier/product launches, product promotions, or discontinuations.
• Proactively adjust forecast and replenishment strategies to optimize inventory investment.
• Commit company resources to support new launches and initiatives.
• Negotiate changes with suppliers as needed.
• Identify and correct Supply Chain constraints by acting as liaison between Sales, Customer Service and Suppliers.
• Establish, maintain, report, and analyze trends for Key Performance Indicators for forecast accuracy, demand variability, inventory, and backorder.
• Develop an understanding of product family life cycles and perform trending analysis to determine proper inventory levels.
• Drive process standardization.
• Monitor inventory data integrity (e.g., receiving/inspection, cycle count accuracy).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Proficient in MS office suite (Excel, Access, Word). Demonstrated ability to analyze large data sets;
  Strong system aptitude required.
• Understanding of forecast and replenishment theory, obtained through APICS or similar training coursework.
• Solid written and verbal communication skills, experience in a matrix environment desirable.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Solid knowledge and practical use of Forecasting and Inventory Planning tools, i.e., Logility, SAP, or equivalent. Mentor Buyer team.

• Typically works in an office environment with adequate lighting and ventilation and a normal range of temperature and noise level.
• Work assignments are diversified. Examples of past precedent are used to resolve work problems. New alternatives may be developed to resolve problems.
• A frequent volume of work…