Deployment Planner

Lindt & Sprüngli•Stratham, NH

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is responsible for planning and executing the deployment of finished goods inventory between manufacturing facilities, co-packers, distribution centers, and customer fulfillment locations. The Deployment Planner balances customer service, inventory productivity, transportation efficiency, and storage capacity while responding to changes in supply and demand. Working cross-functionally with Supply Planning, Demand Planning, Transportation, Customer Service, Distribution Operations, and Lindt & Sprungli North America (LSNA), this role proactively identifies risks, resolves inventory imbalances, and drives continuous improvement across the distribution network. This is a hybrid role that requires three days per week in our Stratham, NH corporate office.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, Engineering, Operations Management, Business, or a related field required.
2+ years of experience in deployment planning, transportation planning, supply planning, inventory management, distribution, or a related supply chain function.
Working knowledge of Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP), inventory deployment, replenishment planning, and supply chain operations.
Experience with SAP, SAP IBP, OMP, APO, ERP systems, or similar planning platforms.
Experience with Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and distribution network operations.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Advanced Excel skills.
Basic understanding of truckload optimization, inventory management, and network planning concepts.
Strong communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across multiple functions.
Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.
Applicants for this position must successfully pass a background screening and may be required to pass drug screenings as well.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a manufacturing or consumer packaged goods environment preferred.
Power BI or other reporting and data visualization experience is a plus.
Experience with network optimization, advanced analytics, Lean/Six Sigma, or continuous improvement initiatives is preferred.
Exposure to omni-channel, retail, or e-commerce distribution models is a plus.

Responsibilities

Design, develop, and execute inventory deployment plans across Lindt's North American distribution network.
Plan and manage the movement of finished goods between manufacturing plants, co-packing facilities, hubs, and distribution centers.
Create and maintain transfer orders to ensure product availability while optimizing transportation and inventory costs.
Allocate constrained inventory across the network based on business priorities, customer service requirements, and available supply.
Execute seasonal inventory build, replenishment, and wind-down strategies to support key business periods.
Build and evaluate what-if scenarios to improve deployment decisions, balance service and cost, and mitigate supply chain risks.
Maintain Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP) parameters and master data that enable effective replenishment and inventory positioning.
Monitor inventory levels, weeks of supply, and inventory health across all distribution centers.
Identify inventory shortages, excess inventory, aging stock, and network imbalances, and implement corrective actions.
Recommend and execute inventory redistribution strategies that improve service levels and reduce inventory risk.
Maintain inventory stocking targets, deployment parameters, and related planning master data.
Support initiatives to reduce obsolescence, write-offs, and excess inventory exposure.
Partner with Supply Planning to understand production constraints, inventory availability, and capacity limitations.
Collaborate with Demand Planning to evaluate forecast changes, customer demand shifts, and allocation requirements.
Work with Transportation and Distribution Operations to ensure inventory is moved efficiently and on time.
Support Customer Service teams by proactively identifying supply risks, escalating issues, and developing mitigation plans.
Build strong cross-functional relationships to balance customer service, inventory investment, and operational efficiency.
Monitor and report key deployment, service, inventory, and transportation performance metrics.
Analyze service failures, distribution center cuts, inventory shortages, forecast variances, and network inefficiencies to identify root causes and corrective actions.
Identify and redistribute forecast allocations between distribution centers in planning systems to reduce the impact of developing variances.
Develop and maintain KPIs including forecast accuracy at the distribution center level, customer and case fill rate, inventory turns, weeks of supply, truck utilization, transfer order accuracy, inventory balance, and expedite transportation costs.
Drive adoption and continuous improvement of DRP, Transportation Management Systems (TMS), reporting tools, and analytics capabilities.
Use data and scenario analysis to identify opportunities to improve service levels, inventory productivity, and transportation efficiency.