INVENTORY AND PLANNING MANAGER

SMALLEY STEEL RING COMPANY•Lake Zurich, IL

4d•$120,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Inventory and Planning Manager is responsible for leading and optimizing end-to-end supply chain operations, including demand planning, production planning, and inventory management. This role ensures alignment between customer demand, manufacturing capacity, and supplier performance to deliver best-in-class service, cost efficiency, and working capital performance. The Inventory and Planning Manager drives cross-functional coordination, system effectiveness, and continuous improvement to support overall business growth and operational excellence.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field
8–12+ years of experience in supply chain, planning, or procurement within manufacturing
3–5+ years of leadership experience managing cross-functional teams
Strong expertise in ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, Epicor, etc.); Infor Syteline preferred
Advanced proficiency in data analysis and Excel
Experience with S&OP / demand planning processes
Understanding of lean manufacturing and inventory optimization techniques

Nice To Haves

Experience in high-mix, low-to-medium volume or regulated environments preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) / Integrated Business Planning (IBP) process.
Align demand forecasts, production capacity, and supply plans.
Partner with Sales, Customer Service, and Operations to reconcile forecast vs. actual demand.
Develop executable supply plans that balance service, cost, and inventory.
Drive improvements in forecast accuracy and demand visibility.
Ensure alignment between demand, capacity constraints, and material availability.
Partner with Manufacturing to optimize throughput, reduce bottlenecks, and improve schedule adherence.
Establish planning standards, parameters, and governance across the team.
Define and execute strategies to achieve target inventory turns and service levels.
Establish and monitor inventory strategies (safety stock, reorder points, min/max levels).
Own inventory strategy across WIP and finished goods.
Balance working capital objectives with customer service expectations.
Reduce excess and obsolete inventory through improved planning and lifecycle management.
Serve as the functional leader for ERP/MRP planning systems.
Ensure accuracy of core planning data (BOMs, routings, lead times, safety stock).
Develop and monitor dashboards to track supply chain performance.
Act as the central interface between Sales, Operations, Procurement, and Finance.
Support new product introductions (NPI) with planning and inventory strategies.
Coordinate with Procurement to ensure material availability and supplier alignment.
Drive continuous improvement in planning processes, including forecast accuracy and planning cycle times.
Drive lean initiatives within planning (pull systems, Kanban, WIP reduction).
Establish standard work, KPIs, and dashboards to improve inventory performance.
Support digital initiatives (e.g., advanced analytics, automation, and integrated planning tools).