Senior Demand Planner- Packaging & Commodities

Senior Demand Planner
- Packaging & Commodities

Reports To: Vice President of Packaging Procurement

Location: Salinas, CA, with travel to Holtville, CA, Yuma, AZ, and San Luis, AZ

Employment Type: Full-time, exempt (year-round position)

Church Brothers Farms is a vertically-integrated, family-owned and operated company that produces a full line of fresh vegetables year-round through our in‑house farming and harvesting programs and state‑of‑the-art processing facilities. As a grower‑owned processor, we farm the majority of our raw product, adhering to the highest standards of food safety and quality. The Church family legacy is rooted in service, innovation, and a commitment to excellence.

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

The Senior Demand Planner – Packaging & Commodities owns demand and supply planning for packaging, including commodity packaging, and all packaging purchasing and material transfers for the San Luis facility. This role analyzes inventory performance, maintains accurate inventory levels across carton yards and facilities, resolves inventory‑related issues, places purchase orders for direct materials, and reports on current, obsolete, and aged packaging and produce inventory.

The position is responsible for long‑term planning for commodity packaging and requires strong analytical skills and sound independent judgment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILLITIES:

Independently analyze carton yard and facility packaging inventory, including commodity packaging, and determine order quantities across multiple locations, ensuring the inventory is turning at the appropriate rate.

Leverage Tableau, Excel, and Famous to analyze usage trends, seasonality, and lead times for packaging, including commodity packaging, and translate findings into purchasing recommendations.

Develop and maintain long‑term demand and supply plans for commodity packaging, aligning forecasts with seasonal transitions, production needs, vendor capacity, and lead times.

Own purchasing of all packaging for the San Luis facility, working with the San Luis team to determine packaging needs, and manage order quantities, purchase orders, receipts, and inventory accuracy.

Manage vendors and ensure they are complying with our min/max program.

Participate in weekly vendor meetings prepared to discuss current inventory levels and address any related concerns.

Determine order quantities for blanket make‑to‑order packaging from approved vendors.

Coordinate and execute transfers of materials at the end of each season, within the carton yards, and to and from the San Luis facility.

Create purchase orders for packaging and oversee the purchase order process.

Identify supply risks early and recommend actions to prevent shortages, excess, and aged inventory.

Maintain and update vendor database and contact information.

Reconcile packaging inventories at month‑end for financials and verify pricing information.

Prepare and present ad‑hoc reports on aged and obsolete materials to the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials.

Work with the Carton Yard Manager to create and report third‑party billings, ensuring all ins and outs are documented.

Work with Finance and Suppliers to resolve PO quantity and pricing issues.

Collect and enter bills of lading (BOL) in Famous.

Work directly with carton yard, facility, and field operations personnel.

Support the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials by providing analytical insights, coordinating cross‑functional projects, and executing procurement operational initiatives.

Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND/OR

EXPERIENCE:

Minimum 5 years’ experience in supply chain planning, purchasing, or procurement, including forecasting and long‑range…