Senior Supply Planner

RUPRECHT CO•Mundelein, IL

About The Position

The Senior Supply Planner translates customer demand into executable production and supply plans for Kilcoy’s protein manufacturing operation. The role owns the mid-range supply plan and maintains a rolling 18-week planning horizon, aligning forecasted demand, production capacity, raw material and packaging availability, shelf-life constraints, and inventory targets to support high service levels while minimizing product age, waste, and obsolescence. Working with Sales, Operations, Procurement, Warehouse, Quality, and other Supply Chain partners, the Senior Supply Planner leads end-to-end supply planning for short shelf-life protein products, including forecast review, master production scheduling, capacity planning, inventory management, and supply-risk mitigation. The position supports the monthly S&OP process and provides proactive recommendations when demand, capacity, materials, or shelf-life requirements are out of balance. The work environment alternates between a cold production setting with concrete floors and an office. The role involves extended computer work, standing and walking through the production floor in temperatures of 38 degrees, and occasionally lifting or moving up to 40 pounds. Kilcoy has adopted the SQF System for food safety management and operates under continuous USDA meat and poultry jurisdiction. All team members are responsible for food safety and quality requirements, and must report food safety issues or concerns to department management. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, Operations Management, Engineering, or a related field.
At least 5 years of progressive experience in supply planning, production planning, materials planning, or a closely related planning discipline.
Experience planning in a food manufacturing environment.
Demonstrated experience managing a multi-week planning horizon, including mid-range supply planning and production scheduling.
Demonstrated experience with MPS, capacity planning, inventory optimization, and supply-risk mitigation in a manufacturing environment.
Experience supporting S&OP or an equivalent integrated demand/supply planning process.
Proficiency in ERP/MRP and WMS systems.
Advanced proficiency in Excel and strong analytical capability with large planning datasets.
Strong communication, organizational, prioritization, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to perform essential job duties satisfactorily, with reasonable accommodations if needed.
Ability to sit at a computer for extended periods, stand and walk through a production floor in cold temperatures, and occasionally lift or move up to 40 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience with protein, meat, poultry, refrigerated, fresh, or other short shelf-life products.
Experience planning 14 or more weeks ahead.
Experience with Syspro and Translution.
Advanced analytical thinking and data-driven decision-making.
Strong understanding of production planning, capacity constraints, inventory tradeoffs, and short shelf-life management.
Ability to anticipate supply risks and make timely recommendations in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Strong attention to detail and planning-data accuracy.
Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across Operations, Sales, Quality, Procurement, Warehouse, and Logistics.
Ownership mindset, sound judgment, and continuous improvement orientation.

Responsibilities

Own and maintain a rolling 18-week supply and production plan, translating demand forecasts and customer requirements into executable production plans.
Execute and maintain the Master Production Schedule for assigned lines and products, translating the mid-range plan into an optimized finite weekly schedule.
Balance production capacity, labor and line constraints, lead times, material availability, changeovers, inventory targets, and short shelf-life requirements.
Monitor demand changes, inventory positions, product age, shelf life, and production performance, and adjust schedules or supply plans as needed.
Identify capacity constraints, material risks, and supply gaps across the 18-week horizon; develop scenarios and recommend recovery or mitigation actions.
Partner with Operations to confirm the production plan is executable and communicate schedule changes, priorities, and constraints.
Maintain finished-goods inventory levels that support customer service targets while minimizing aging, spoilage, waste, and obsolete inventory.
Monitor short shelf-life inventory, including product age, expiration exposure, demand coverage, and production timing.
Track inventory, service, forecast performance, surplus and obsolete inventory, waste, and other planning KPIs; investigate variances and drive corrective actions.
Provide Warehouse and Logistics teams with forward-looking inventory visibility and planning insights.
Partner with Operations, Quality, Procurement, Warehouse, Logistics, Sales, and Demand Planning to resolve supply issues and align priorities.
Communicate supply risks, customer impacts, constrained items, recovery plans, and decisions required from leadership.
Support the monthly S&OP process with capacity, inventory, service, and supply-risk analysis across the planning horizon.
Lead planning for new product launches, product transitions, and new SKU introductions, ensuring items are integrated into planning systems and production plans.
Coach and support planning best practices across cross-functional teams and act as a subject-matter resource for supply planning decisions.
Maintain accurate planning data in ERP/MRP systems, including forecasts, lead times, lot sizes, safety stocks, planning parameters, and item attributes.
Use ERP/MRP tools and Excel to analyze demand, supply, capacity, inventory, and shelf-life risks across the 18-week horizon.
Track and report forecast accuracy, service level, schedule attainment, inventory performance, waste and obsolescence, and product age.
Identify and implement planning process improvements that strengthen schedule stability, inventory health, service, and plant efficiency.
Ensure planning activities align with SQF, USDA, and company food safety and quality standards applicable to meat and protein manufacturing.
Incorporate food safety, quality holds, shelf-life requirements, and regulatory constraints into supply and production planning decisions.
Promptly report food safety, quality, or regulatory concerns to leadership.