Central Planner

Lactalis American Group Inc • Buffalo, NY

2d • $65,000 - $75,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Lactalis American Group is hiring a Central Planner based in Buffalo, New York. The Central Planner is responsible for short- and mid-term capacity, inventory levels, and transportation requirements for assigned product lines or replenishment management. The role aims to maintain established finished-goods levels, meet customer-service goals, and use manufacturing resources efficiently.

The position works with plant schedulers, Customer Service, Transportation Planners, Demand Planners, distribution centers, sales personnel, manufacturing teams, co-packers, and the Supply Planning Manager. The planner manages inventory and production risks, coordinates interplant shipments and cross-functional meetings, monitors performance, supports business continuity, and contributes to process changes. The role requires physical presence in the office under the Hybrid Work Policy, with occasional travel and potentially extended hours depending on project needs.

Requirements

• Associate degree or higher preferred; ideally a bachelor's degree or a combination of education and industry experience.
• At least one year of planning experience preferred, or a combination of transferable education and experience.
• Ability to learn and use FuturMaster, Stratum, and AS/400.
• The position requires physical presence in the office in accordance with the Hybrid Work Policy.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in the food industry, a related supply-chain field, or financial analysis.
• APICS or CPIM certification, or similar knowledge.
• Associate degree or higher; ideally a bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and industry experience.
• Planning experience of one or more years, or a combination of transferable education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Analyze and prepare reports on plant capacity utilization by product line.
• Understand and use KPIs relevant to the position and planning department, including their cross-functional impacts, to support sound company decisions.
• Conduct inventory simulations to determine optimal safety stock and inventory levels based on demand and shelf-life constraints.
• Analyze the risk of product dumps and downgrades and work with Customer Service to minimize or mitigate negative impacts.
• Identify problematic SKUs based on factors such as efficiency, waste risk, volume, and labor, and consider whether they should be discontinued or rationalized.
• Provide finished-goods requirements to plant schedulers, monitor production schedules, and initiate corrective action when deficiencies arise.
• Plan and enter interplant shipment orders for assigned products or distribution centers, following inventory standards and lead times.
• Communicate interplant logistics plans so equipment is available to move finished goods between plants and distribution centers.
• Communicate inventory-plan changes promptly to Customer Service and Transportation Planners when they may affect customer delivery commitments.
• Regularly communicate with Demand Planners to identify forecast challenges and production bottlenecks.
• Analyze and manage aging and eight-day-to-expire reports for assigned product lines to mitigate waste risk.
• Review capacity graphs and understand capacity constraints for assigned product lines.
• Use FuturMaster to guide inventory planning.
• Provide meeting recaps and action items when leading meetings or serving as scribe, and enforce accountability for action items and business continuity needs.
• Facilitate monthly and weekly meetings with strategic cross-functional teams, including internal teams and co-packers.
• Coordinate with distribution center and sales personnel to monitor inventory and finished-product aging and reduce the risk of product going out of code.
• Coordinate with Manufacturing to support transparency and production-plan efficiency.
• Prepare and distribute reports on activity and performance metrics.
• Cross-train with other Central Planners and provide backup during vacations and daily absences.
• Work directly with the Supply Planning Manager on projects and drive change when implementing new processes.
• Visit manufacturing sites where assigned products are produced to understand processes and build relationships.
• Provide necessary training to new Supply Planners or Associate Supply Planners.

Benefits

• Affordable benefits and coverage options through a comprehensive Total Rewards Program.
• Company contribution toward insurance costs.
• Contributions to retirement plans.
• Paid Time Off from day one.
• Training and development opportunities.
• Education Reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree