Distribution Planner

JMS Technical Solutions•Vista, CA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

The Distribution Planner manages the flow of products from manufacturing warehouses to outbound warehouses, using demand and supply data, DFC, and transit times. The role oversees inventory allocation across regional distribution centers in the United States and internationally to maximize order fulfillment, minimize stockouts, and optimize freight costs. The position calls for experience with advanced planning systems and a strong understanding of retail, international, and e-commerce fulfillment and distribution processes. The planner maintains finished-goods inventory at appropriate levels across distribution centers, coordinating supply with customer demand and supporting online and retail orders. The role works with sales, marketing, supply planning, logistics, and warehouse teams to align plans with promotions, launches, and seasonal fluctuations, and to address shipment or fulfillment issues. The position uses planning systems to generate reports and maintain distribution plans, improves planning processes and forecast accuracy, monitors supply-chain KPIs, and presents distribution and inventory reports to senior management. It also provides historical-trend analysis and feedback to demand planning to support more accurate forecasts.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Mathematics, or Statistics from a well-regarded, accredited four-year university.
5–7 years of experience in data analytics, demand planning, materials planning, distribution planning, or supply-chain planning.
Experience with advanced planning systems such as John Galt Atlas, SAP, Oracle, Logility, OMP, Blue Yonder, or Kinaxis.
Experience with retail, international, and e-commerce fulfillment and distribution processes, including the distinct demands of direct-to-consumer channels.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions.
Proficiency in SAP systems and advanced knowledge of Excel for data analysis.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally.
Authorization to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the supplement, pharmaceutical, or food manufacturing industries.

Responsibilities

Maintain appropriate finished-goods inventory levels across U.S. and international/global distribution centers, balancing supply with customer demand.
Manage inventory availability across distribution centers to support online and retail orders, minimize stockouts, and maintain service levels.
Coordinate with U.S. retail, international, and e-commerce sales teams to anticipate promotional demand spikes and adjust distribution plans.
Collaborate with sales, marketing, and supply planning teams to align distribution plans with promotions, product launches, and seasonal demand.
Communicate with logistics and warehouse teams to support timely shipment of finished goods and troubleshoot fulfillment issues.
Use advanced planning systems to generate reports and maintain optimal distribution plans.
Refine planning-system inputs and collaborate with stakeholders to improve planning processes and forecast accuracy.
Analyze supply-chain data and track KPIs, including inventory turnover, fill rate, and on-time delivery.
Generate and present regular reports to senior management on distribution performance and inventory status.
Identify process-improvement and cost-saving opportunities through data analysis.
Analyze historical trends across customers, SKUs, and distribution points and provide feedback to the demand planning team to improve demand accuracy and forecast reliability.