Inventory & MRO Analyst

• Department:
  Operations

At
Link Snacks
, we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago.

We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands—Jack Link’s® ,Lorissa’s Kitchen® ,Golden Island® ,BiFi® , and Peperami® andKOOEE!® to name a few—there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it.

Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks.

Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks.

The Inventory & MRO Analyst is responsible for optimizing maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) inventory to ensure maximum equipment uptime in a highly automated, multi-line food manufacturing facility. This role manages a multi-million-dollar repair and maintenance (R&M) budget, drives inventory accuracy, and ensures critical spare parts availability for continuous production in a USDA-regulated environment.

The ideal candidate combines data analytics, maintenance planning, and inventory control expertise to reduce downtime, improve asset reliability, and control costs

Key Responsibilities – Inventory & MRO Analyst

Strategic MRO Inventory Optimization

• Design and continuously refine inventory segmentation strategy (critical spares vs. consumables vs. long-lead items vs. rarely used insurance spares).
• Perform criticality analysis (ABC + equipment criticality) to identify parts that directly impact production uptime.
• Build and maintain dynamic min/max and safety stock models using:
  • Usage variability
  • Supplier lead times (standard vs. expedited)
  • Equipment failure patterns
• Drive risk-based stocking strategies:
  • Zero-stock tolerance for uptime-critical components
  • Vendor-managed inventory (VMI) where viable
• Identify duplicates across OEMs or lines
• Standardize components across similar equipment
• Actively manage inventory lifecycle:
  • Introduce new parts for new equipment or upgrades
  • Phase out obsolete or end-of-life components

Deep Maintenance & Reliability Integration

• PM (Preventive Maintenance) kits
• Breakdown/spare readiness models
• Work directly with Maintenance Planners to:
  • Pre-stage parts for shutdowns, rebuilds, and changeovers
  • Build kitted jobs for faster wrench time execution
• Identify chronic part failures
• Recommend higher-spec or alternative components
• Adjust stocking levels based on real failure curves
• Support planned outage execution:
  • Ensure all parts are available weeks in advance
  • Create contingency plans for critical equipment
• Embed reliability concepts:
  • MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) alignment with stocking
  • MTTR (Mean Time to Repair) reduction via parts readiness
• Serve as the day-to-day steward of a multi-million-dollar R&M budget.
• Develop annual MRO spend forecasts by:
  • Asset class (processing, packaging, automation)
  • Maintenance strategy (PM/PdM/reactive)
• Conduct monthly variance analysis:
  • Identify cost spikes by line, failure type, or supplier
  • Partner with maintenance to correct cost drivers
• Drive cost-out initiatives, including:
  • Repair vs. replace analytics
  • Use of refurbished/rebuilt components
  • Reduction in emergency purchases and premium freight
• Monitor and reduce:
  • Inventory carrying costs
  • Excess and obsolete (E&O) inventory
• Track and improve financial KPIs:
  • Inventory turns
  • Cost per operating hour
  • Maintenance cost per pound produced

Advanced Data Analytics & Decision Support

• Own MRO data governance within CMMS/ERP:
  • Item…