Senior Supply Chain Specialist

Makers Pride•Geneva, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Supply Chain Specialist is responsible for managing the production schedule, communicating customer expectations, handling reports, and ensuring timely shipments. This role involves managing material supply, understanding demand by customer and SKU, utilizing MRP reports, managing the material release process, and confirming purchase orders and receipts within SAP. The specialist will track supplier performance, develop inventory plans, and align with operations and production planning to meet material receipt and production schedule timelines. Key responsibilities include negotiating purchase arrangements within budget, identifying cost-effective acquisition methods, and executing functional best practices.

Requirements

Familiar with SAP planning and procurement.
Knowledge of the food product industry.
Must have experience with SAP.
Must have purchasing experience.
Candidate must be legally authorized to work in the location to which they apply.

Responsibilities

Manage production schedule, customer expectation communications, reports, and shipment timing.
Manage material supply, including understanding demand by customer and SKU, MRP reports, material release process, PO confirmations, and receipts using SAP.
Track supplier performance.
Responsible for supply management for assigned suppliers, products, and facilities.
Identify and manage material inventory plans for assigned items.
Align and coordinate efforts with operations and production planning to ensure timely receipt of all materials and meet production schedule timing for customers.
Develop unique inventory plans by category and customer.
Ensure realization of department goals and objectives.
Execute and maintain functional best practices.
Negotiate arrangements for the purchase of goods or services (materials) within budget limitations.
Identify and execute cost-effective and efficient material acquisition methods.
Utilize SAP reports and data for efficient execution of functional responsibilities and objectives.
Enter production schedules, including any required schedule changes in SAP, to meet customer satisfaction and communicate changes to all parties.
Run and analyze MRP, performing analysis of customer demand, sales forecasts, and historical material usage to develop and execute forecasting plans.
Ensure products are received on time and are available to fill customer orders to keep the supply chain moving and eliminate downtime.
Ensure that internal and external customers’ expectations and requirements are met.
Assist the commercialization team in product development and trials.
Provide weekly/monthly detailed analyzed reports for customers.
Escort visitors for meetings, inspections, or testing on products as needed.
Communicate and help coordinate shipments with the T&W department and customers.
Attend internal and external customer meetings to discuss upcoming weeks and shortages of scheduled production resulting from any difficulties.
Build and support BOM (Bill of Material) structure working with the Commercialization Team.
Create and define items to be consumed by BOM (Bill of Material).
Drive timely part setup, BOM releases, and BOM changes to support new product introduction as well as changes to existing BOM business.
Coordinate returns and/or replacement of products (FG, SEMI FG, RAW PACK).
Facilitate and manage QN/NCMR completion and closure within 30 days and full financial recovery within 60 days.
Collate purchase orders and purchase requisitions in order-to-order materials including RFQ’s (Request for Quotes) and track PO confirmations.
Resolve conflicts concerning materials or services at the department and supplier levels (under/over orders, quality, and damage).
Negotiate procurement details with suppliers.
Seek new ideas from suppliers to reduce costs and ensure quality is met for internal and external customers.
Maintain files related to purchase orders, suppliers, quotes, and other correspondence.
Perform inventories reports as required and work with IC to understand its accuracy.
Build strong relationships with qualified external suppliers.
Develop initiatives to reduce slow-moving inventories, excess inventories, and obsolete inventory, and implement process improvements to achieve company inventory goals.
Identify and evaluate suppliers that provide the best cost, cost savings, lead time, and service to meet overall business objectives.
Initiate and maintain conference calls with customers as needed.
Manage daily reports (Past Due, On Time Delivery, Shortages etc.), monitor, update, and call out material losses.
Eliminate line downtime due to material availability and quality issues.
Coordinate efficient receipt and movement of materials with third-party warehouses.
Identify the “right size” for all assigned material inventories.
Work with internal and external freight resources to ensure timely deliveries of inbound materials at competitive rates.
Manage inbound freight and freight claims as needed.
Identify and drive best practices within the total supply chain, including the development of supplier and supply-related metrics.
Coordinate supplier management programs with cross-functional HFS resources.
Track, report, and process quality performance issues for suppliers, and work to eliminate supplier-related quality issues for all materials.
Ensure material quotes are up to date.
Perform cost card analyses and updates.
Negotiate prices with chosen vendors and assist with preparing contract documents.
Participate in quotes if needed or utilize SIE IQO (quotes) for SAP system updates (routing, speed, crew etc.).