Buyer Planner

ZEISS•Minneapolis, MN

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Buyer Planner ensures material availability, optimizes inventory levels, and supports operational excellence through data-driven planning and procurement strategies. The role uses ERP systems, AI-enabled analytics, forecasting tools, and supplier collaboration to identify risks, improve service levels, optimize working capital, and support business growth. It partners with Manufacturing, Engineering, Strategic Purchasing, Customer Care, Sales, and suppliers to maintain material flow, improve supply chain resilience, and drive continuous process improvements across the end-to-end supply chain. The position is hybrid and based at ZEISS’s Maple Grove, Minnesota facility. The role covers demand and supply planning, production readiness, procurement and supplier management, inventory and working capital management, digital supply chain enablement, master data and process excellence, and risk management and business continuity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, or a related field.
At least 3 years of experience in supply chain planning, procurement, manufacturing, or inventory management.
Experience working with ERP systems.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
Knowledge of supply chain analytics and KPI reporting.
Strategic thinking.
Analytical decision making.
Data storytelling and business insight generation.
Supplier relationship management.
Cross-functional collaboration.
Continuous improvement mindset.
Change management.
Risk management.
Digital fluency and AI adoption.

Nice To Haves

SAP ERP experience, preferably ECC or S/4HANA.
APICS/ASCM certification.
Experience with Power BI or equivalent analytics tools.
Experience with AI-assisted planning and forecasting platforms.
Experience with Microsoft Copilot, Power Platform, or equivalent automation tools.
Experience with Jaggaer PIP.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain demand forecasts using historical trends, customer demand signals, market intelligence, and AI-assisted forecasting tools.
Support monthly S&OP and Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes.
Identify forecast risks and opportunities and recommend corrective actions.
Collaborate with Sales, Service, Product Management, and Manufacturing to align supply with demand.
Monitor forecast accuracy and improve planning methodologies.
Ensure material availability to support production schedules and customer delivery commitments.
Identify supply constraints and develop mitigation plans to minimize production disruptions.
Manage exception-based planning and prioritize critical shortages.
Use digital planning tools and dashboards to monitor supply chain performance.
Support production leveling and capacity planning initiatives.
Manage procurement activities for assigned commodities and suppliers.
Execute purchase orders, supplier scheduling agreements, and replenishment strategies.
Monitor supplier delivery performance, lead times, capacity constraints, and risk indicators.
Partner with Strategic Purchasing on supplier development and cost optimization initiatives.
Drive supplier performance improvements through data-driven reviews and corrective action plans.
Optimize inventory levels while maintaining required service levels.
Analyze excess, obsolete, and slow-moving inventory and develop disposition plans.
Support inventory reduction and working capital improvement initiatives.
Establish and maintain inventory policies, safety stocks, reorder points, and planning parameters.
Use AI-enabled planning, forecasting, and analytics tools to improve decision making.
Develop and maintain dashboards, KPIs, and automated reporting solutions.
Leverage predictive analytics to identify supply chain disruptions before they affect operations.
Support automation initiatives that reduce manual work and improve data accuracy.
Participate in ERP, digital transformation, and supply chain technology projects.
Maintain accurate material master, supplier master, and procurement data in ERP systems.
Support Engineering Change Management and lifecycle planning activities.
Identify opportunities for process simplification, standardization, and automation.
Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and audit standards.
Identify supply chain risks related to suppliers, logistics, inventory, and geopolitical factors.
Develop contingency and recovery plans for critical materials and supply disruptions.
Support supplier onboarding, dual-sourcing, and resiliency initiatives.
Drive proactive risk monitoring and escalation processes.