Collaborative Planning Manager

Makers Pride•Carol Stream, IL

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Collaborative Planning Manager is the critical link between the customer demand signal and the Maker's Pride constrained supply plan, ensuring an optimized, level-loaded plan across a 13-week horizon. This role owns demand and supply planning accuracy for a designated group of business, challenges and influences customer demand signals, and ensures compliance to production wheels, segmentation, and customer black-out calendars. Serving as the single point of contact on planner-to-planner calls, the Collaborative Planner works closely with plant finite scheduling in the 0–2 week horizon and corporate planning in the 13+ week horizon to deliver "One Supply Plan" that balances customer service, plant efficiency, and inventory health.

Requirements

5+ years of Supply Chain planning experience across demand planning, supply planning, production scheduling, or S&OP
Experience in a multi-site manufacturing environment; food or CPG industry experience preferred
Demonstrated experience translating customer demand signals into executable supply plans
Experience working directly with plant scheduling and commercial/customer-facing partners
Strong knowledge of demand and supply planning processes, production wheels, segmentation, and level-loading concepts
Proficient in SAP and planning systems (Blue Yonder or comparable); advanced Excel skills
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and root cause analysis skills
Excellent communication and influencing skills; able to challenge demand signals and align cross-functional partners
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities across short- and long-term horizons
Detail-oriented with a focus on accuracy, consistency, and documentation
Collaborative mindset with strong customer service orientation

Nice To Haves

Ability to travel to plant locations as needed (10–15%)

Responsibilities

Challenge and influence demand signals across customers to improve accuracy and align to realistic run rates and capacity
Ensure supply is optimally planned at plants, with a level-loaded and smoothed schedule that supports service, cost, and operational stability
Own demand and supply planning accuracy with a 13-week focus, driving continuous improvement in plan quality
Own segmentation and production wheels for assigned lines, in coordination with the appropriate Supply Chain Directors
Minimize unconstrained demand that is not scheduled, ensuring gaps are surfaced, resolved, or escalated
Manage customer black-out calendars, ensuring compliance and appropriate usage of designated shifts
Validate unconstrained demand "reasonableness" by comparing run rates versus forecast and challenging anomalies
Ensure unconstrained customer demand is fully covered within the supply plan
Ensure level loading and optimal scheduling across the 13-week horizon
Document week-over-week changes and the drivers of "why" (demand change, rate change, operating shift changes, etc.) to support transparency and decision-making
Own the translation of the unconstrained demand signal from the customer to the systemic entry of the constrained supply plan into SAP
Ensure compliance to defined production wheels and escalate deviations as needed
Partner heavily with plant finite scheduling on the 0–2 week horizon and with corporate planning on the 13+ week horizon to ensure "1 Supply Plan"
Serve as the single point of contact on planner-to-planner calls for designated groups of business
Own production wheels per line in coordination with the appropriate Supply Chain Directors
Partner cross-functionally with Demand Planning, Customer Service, Plant Operations, Materials, and Commercial teams to resolve constraints and align on priorities