Senior Supply Chain Planner

Guardant Health•Palo Alto, CA

19d•$101,100 - $139,050•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Supply Chain Planner owns supply chain planning for assigned product lines in a fast-scaling biotech environment. The role drives forecast accuracy, manages material requirements end-to-end, and leads continuous improvement in planning, scrap reduction, and product launch execution. The planner works across Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Warehouse, and Finance to ensure material availability, optimize inventory, and improve processes. Planning decisions directly affect laboratory service levels, manufacturing efficiency, and patient testing turnaround time. The role is responsible for MRP and forecasting, material purchasing timelines, shortage-risk mitigation, end-of-life inventory management, scrap reduction, and manufacturing readiness for product launches. It also owns product-line KPIs and dashboards, documents planning procedures and lessons learned, and proposes system improvements using Oracle, APEX, and MRP tools. The planner investigates planning failures, makes decisions within their authority, escalates issues appropriately, and communicates status, risks, and recommendations to leadership and stakeholders. The position is primarily desk/office-based, with occasional visits to manufacturing and warehouse locations. The hybrid model specifies onsite collaboration days for eligible U.S. employees living within 50 miles of a Guardant facility: Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. The work may involve exposure to high noise levels, fumes, and biohazard material in a laboratory environment. Employees may need to lift routine office supplies, use office equipment, and sit for extended periods.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
5–8 years of experience in supply chain planning, operations, or material management.
Demonstrated experience in end-of-life management, scrap reduction, or product lifecycle management.
Track record of leading successful product launches or new product introductions.
Experience with MRP systems such as Oracle or SAP, or equivalent, and with manufacturing or biotech environments.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills and ability to work independently without constant supervision.
Proficiency in Excel for data analysis, forecasting, and reporting.
Clear written and verbal communication skills and ability to influence across functions.
Metrics-driven mindset and comfort with ambiguity, rapid growth, and regulated environments such as GMP/GDP.
Understanding of MRP/MPS logic, bills of materials, work orders, and inventory management principles.
Basic cost accounting and inventory valuation knowledge, and understanding of compliance and traceability in regulated environments.
Ability to sit for extended periods and lift routine office supplies as required.
Ability to use office equipment.

Nice To Haves

C.P.M. and/or C.P.I.M. certification.
Familiarity with business intelligence tools such as Tableau or Power BI.

Responsibilities

Own MRP for assigned product lines and improve forecast accuracy, with a target of 85% or higher.
Identify and escalate forecast variances; investigate them and propose corrective actions and root-cause solutions.
Forecast material shortages and supply-chain risks 6–8 weeks in advance, maintaining a forward-looking shortage pipeline and mitigation plans.
Create and manage material purchasing timelines aligned with manufacturing schedules and site or laboratory replenishment needs.
Lead end-of-life planning for obsolete or discontinued products and identify ways to liquidate excess inventory and minimize scrap.
Analyze scrap drivers, including quality issues, waste, damaged goods, and expiration, and propose process or sourcing improvements.
Coordinate disposal of obsolete or non-conforming materials and document financial impact and lessons learned.
Support manufacturing readiness for new product launches by validating bills of materials, coordinating material availability, and creating launch work-order plans.
Coordinate with Engineering, Quality, and Warehouse on material staging, validation, and fulfillment readiness.
Maintain material accuracy and traceability through SOP compliance and escalate supply-chain blockers that could delay launches.
Own product-line KPIs, including forecast accuracy, months of supply, inventory accuracy, on-time delivery, and scrap rate; create dashboards to improve visibility.
Identify planning-process inefficiencies and document SOPs, decision criteria, and lessons learned from shortages and scrap events.
Propose and implement system improvements using Oracle, APEX, and MRP tools to automate planning, reduce manual effort, and improve accuracy.
Lead process improvements that balance inventory security against carrying cost and target cost savings through optimization.
Partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Warehouse, and Finance on planning issues, product changes, and supply-chain risks.
Investigate root causes of planning failures, including stockouts, scrap, and forecast misses; make decisions within authority and escalate appropriately.
Communicate planning status, risks, and recommendations clearly to leadership and stakeholders.
Responsibly evaluate and use AI-enabled tools, in accordance with company policies, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements, to improve work efficiency, effectiveness, and quality.