Logitstics/Supply Planning Buying Mgr - Commodity

Kroger•Blue Ash, OH

About The Position

Direct, develop and support Supply Planning team to consistently provide fresh, high-quality items with maximum shelf life and low cost to our customers in strategic commodities. Lead department planning for strategic commodity groupings to achieve strong performance as measured by key benchmarks and key performance indicators (KPIs). Coordinate communication and integration with all parts of the organization (e.g., Division and corporate enterprise partners) working closely with the division and distribution center-focused Regional Supply Planning Manager. Demonstrate the company’s core values of respect, honesty, integrity, diversity, inclusion and safety.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in related field or equivalent years of experience
5+ years of experience in planning, merchandising, operations, or supply chain
Any buying experience replenishing distribution centers
Ability to monitor compliance with established guidelines, policies, procedures, and regulations
Strong analytical, problem solving and root cause identification skills
Excellent communication/presentation (oral and written) skills to effectively communicate information to stakeholders at all levels both internal and external
Demonstrated leadership capability and ability to influence others without formal authority
Demonstrated ability to prepare, interpret and make decisions based on qualitative and quantitative data
Advanced Microsoft Office skills (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Visio)

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in business administration or supply chain
Any produce buying experience replenishing distribution centers
Any exposure to Kroger Category Management System Data Warehouse and Business Objects

Responsibilities

Oversee supply planning of product within a given set of commodities
Manage team of buyers within a given set of strategic commodities
Work with executive leadership of division and corporate enterprise partners to understand buying strategy for the department, mobilizing the supporting supply planning teams to action established plans
Own and drive the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) initiatives, ensuring seamless alignment between demand forecasting, inventory management, and supply chain execution to support business objectives and maximize operational efficiency
Collaborate between planners, Merchandising and other Sales and Operations Execution (S&OE) players
Support planners in troubleshooting complex sufficiency and adherence challenges for strategic commodities in their per view and work with planners on critical or difficult vendors to mitigate issues, as needed
Partner with GO Merchandising executive leadership, division and Supply Chain (SC) counterparts to support inventory policy objectives
Maintain a high-level understanding of promos for all commodities in their per view and help provide (as needed) strategic planning inputs
Lead project management and support company-wide planning initiatives
Escalate relevant vendor or personnel issues to Supply Planning Executive Leadership overseeing relevant categories
Understand, maintain, and report on team's KPIs to leadership for visibility
Drive and maintain regular engagement with 3rd party vendors (e.g., VRR)
Drive and implement any changes to processes, ways of working, collaboration mechanisms, etc. amongst the team
Provide inputs to hiring of planners within commodity grouping
Provide regular input on planner’s performance for performance reviews
Supervise and coach direct reports in the performance of their duties; complete performance reviews and provide feedback to direct reports
Ability to work cooperatively in high paced and sometimes stressful environment
Ability to manage conflict in a reasonable, nonconfrontational and cooperative manner
Ability to act with honesty and integrity regarding customer and business information
Ability to follow directions and seek assistance when necessary to resolve customer and business issues
Provide support and assistance through direct interaction with minors, individuals with special needs, and/or older adults
Must be able to perform the essential job functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation