Manager, Customer Supply Chain

Kehe Food Distributors•Naperville, IL

36d

About The Position

At KeHE, we're obsessed with creating solutions, unboxing potential, and serving others - and it all starts with you. As an employee-owned distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products, we're committed to making a positive impact and scaling our success together. With a culture that fosters development and opportunity, you'll be embarking on a career that's moving forward. When you join KeHE, you're becoming part of a team that is a force for good. The Customer Supply Chain Manager serves as a critical link between KeHE and its retail partners, driving collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment strategies to ensure optimal product availability and supply chain performance. This role is responsible for aligning internal and external stakeholders around shared goals, leveraging data-driven insights to improve forecast accuracy, reduce inventory inefficiencies, and enhance customer service levels. As with all positions at KeHE Distributors, we expect that all actions will be consistent with KeHE's Mission, Vision, and Values.

Requirements

Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Ability to build strong relationships and influence internal and external partners.
Understanding of supply chain principles and customer replenishment systems.
Moderate to advanced skill level in using Excel, COGNOS, Access, Power BI, and other similar tools.
Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Operations, Engineering, or related field. preferred
Minimum of 3 years of supply chain experience, preferably in supply and/or demand planning, or supply chain solutions.

Nice To Haves

Experience in food industry and/or code sensitive product environment preferred.
Experience with business intelligence tools like Power BI and Tableau highly desired.
Experience using ERP systems such as JDA Demand, SAP/APO, Manhattan, etc. strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Facilitate joint business planning sessions with retailers and other partners - up to and including Director level- to align forecasts, resolve discrepancies, and agree on replenishment strategies.
Lead weekly customer meetings to identify performance gaps, uncover opportunities, and present actionable recommendations
Track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to forecast accuracy, in-stock levels, inventory turns, spoilage and customer fill rates
Monitor inventory levels and collaborate on strategies to minimize excess inventory, prevent stockouts, and meet service level targets for assigned categories
Serve as a point of contact, coordinating closely with internal teams (account team, purchasing, demand planning and transportation) and external stakeholders to drive collaboration and resolve issues.
Implement process changes to enhance supply chain efficiency and achieve best practices in customer replenishment and forecasting.
Own internal communication with key stakeholders to call out exceptions in forecast, flag risks, and provide actionable recommendations
Developing solutions that integrate the assigned customer's and KeHE supply chain processes.
Deeply understand customer tools and workflows to identify performance improvement opportunities and tailor insights accordingly
Conduct root cause analysis and provide context-driven process improvement suggestions to internal and external stakeholders
Manage promotional demand planning and ensure readiness and flawless execution
Leverage internal and external data sources to detect shifts in item-level sales trends and initiate proactive supply chain responses
Other duties and projects as assigned.