Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning Leader (SIOP)

USA Rare Earth, LLC

124d•Onsite

About The Position

The Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) Leader is responsible for driving the company’s cross-functional planning process to align demand, supply, inventory and financial goals. This role ensures that sales forecasts, production schedules, inventory strategies, and capacity plans are synchronized to achieve business objectives. Serving as the central facilitator between commercial, operations, supply chain, and finance teams, the SIOP Leader leverages data-driven insights, collaboration, and process discipline to optimize service levels, working capital, and operational efficiency.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Operations, or related field; MBA preferred.
7+ years of experience in demand planning, supply chain, operations, or related field, with at least 3 years leading SIOP processes.
Proven track record of successfully implementing or improving an SIOP framework in a complex, multi-site or global organization.
Deep understanding of supply chain, production planning, and demand management principles.
Strong analytical skills with proficiency in forecasting tools, ERP/MRP systems, and advanced Excel; experience with statistical modeling preferred.
Excellent facilitation, communication, and influencing skills across all organizational levels.
Ability to manage ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and make data-driven decisions.
Strong business acumen with the ability to connect operational plans to financial performance.

Nice To Haves

APICS CPIM, CSCP, or CLTD
PMP or Lean Six Sigma certification

Responsibilities

Own and lead the monthly SIOP cycle, ensuring alignment between demand plans, supply capabilities, inventory levels and strategic business objectives.
Develop and maintain a structured, repeatable process with clear roles, responsibilities, timelines, and deliverables.
Facilitate cross-functional meetings to review forecasts, identify gaps, and resolve conflicts between demand and supply.
Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Product Management to create accurate, consensus-driven forecasts.
Monitor demand variability and recommend adjustments to mitigate risks.
Work with Production, Supply Chain, and Procurement teams to ensure production and material availability match forecasted demand.
Identify capacity constraints and work with production to develop contingency plans to maintain service levels.
Optimize inventory strategies to balance customer service requirements and working capital targets.
Define, monitor, and report on key SIOP performance metrics (e.g., forecast accuracy, inventory turns, service levels, OTIF).
Present insights and recommendations to senior leadership during executive SIOP reviews.
Monitor forecast accuracy, bias and adherence to the plan; identify and address root causes of variances.
Champion best practices, tools, and technology to enhance the SIOP process.
Drive cross-functional alignment on long-term capacity planning and strategic initiatives.
Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and collaboration.
Train and mentor cross-functional teams on SIOP concepts, tools and best practices