Network Planning Specialist

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•Solon, OH

3d•$65,000 - $80,000

About The Position

The Network Planner Specialist owns end-to-end inventory deployment, allocation, and network planning decisions to consistently achieve service, cost, and inventory targets. This role acts as the single point of decision-making authority across deployment, order fulfillment, and network strategy, balancing trade-offs between service levels, working capital, capacity, and waste. Operating across planning, logistics, and execution teams, this role drives timely, data-informed decisions under uncertainty and ensures alignment between planning assumptions, operational constraints, and business priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.
2-5+ years of experience in supply chain, demand/supply planning, transportation, or customer service.
Experience working in fast paced, cross-functional environments.
Strong ability to analyze data and turn insights into actions.
Strong analytical and problem solving skills with ability to translate data into actionable decisions.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel required; Power BI preferred) and ability to leverage AI-enabled tools and advance analytics to support planning and decision-making.
Experience working with planning systems (e.g. SAP, OMP) and data-driven environments.
Clear written and verbal communication skills.
Strong organization and time management skills.
Ability to work with large datasets and extract insight to drive business outcomes.
Expected to make timely decisions with imperfect data and prioritize solutions over escalation or analysis paralysis.

Nice To Haves

Power BI preferred

Responsibilities

Own and execute short- and mid-term inventory deployment decisions across plants, DCs, and regions to meet service, cost, and inventory targets.
Proactively identify supply risks using horizon-based analysis, incorporating inventory levels, inbound timing, QA release status, and capacity constraints.
Monitor system alerts, inventory imbalances, and service risks; lead cross-functional resolution efforts. Drive resolution of inventory imbalances and service risks through timely decisions.
Make trade-off decisions between service, cost, capacity, and waste within defined guardrails.
Define and govern allocation strategies, prioritization rules, and inventory segmentation policies.
Owns final decision on mitigation strategy in alignment with Order-to-Cash and Commercial inputs.
Lead critical allocation decisions during constrained supply situations, balancing customer service and business priorities.
Communicate allocation strategies, service risks, and mitigation plans to senior stakeholders.
Actively engage with key stakeholders in key planning forums.
Influence decision-making by providing data-driven insights and recommendations.
Ensure alignment between planning assumptions, operational constraints, and business objectives.
Develop and deliver reporting on key KPIs: COF, waste, capacity utilization, supply payload, and redeployment cost.
Perform root cause analysis on service failures, inventory excess/shortage, and network inefficiencies.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on cost reduction, service improvement, and working capital optimization.
Conduct scenario modeling and what-if analysis to support strategic decision-making.
Own and maintain network planning master data in planning system to support accurate planning and execution.
Ensure data integrity to support accurate planning and execution.
Drive planning system and process improvements to enhance planning efficiency and visibility.