Supply Chain Planner & Analyst

Crayola Corporate • Forks Township, PA

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

Manages the planning aspects of finished, semi, and raw material product planning with internal manufacturing and/or external suppliers including long term capacity planning. Manages planning exceptions daily and interacts with manufacturing and/or external suppliers to ensure execution of customer requirements, inventory and total cost goals for Global Supply and customer base. Ensures the data accuracy of supply chain system (SAP) and other PSI tools. The role will proactively work with cross functional teams to execute commercialization inclusive of inventory planning, tracking, reporting and driving timely execution of product and program priorities as required to delivery annual sales plan. This includes all analytic activities related to account coordination, standard reporting, product life cycles, capacity planning, and end-to-end ad hoc projects per the direction of the Supply Chain leadership team. Is responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the Supply Chain process in achieving overall customer service, inventory, and cost objectives. Individual will work with U.S. and International team members in Demand Planning, Platform Marketing, Logistics, Customer Service, Manufacturing, Sales, E-Commerce, and Ops-Finance on product development and short/long term planning outlooks.

Requirements

• BA/BS degree preferably in Business, Industrial Management, Logistics or Supply Chain discipline preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in production planning, inventory management, and external manufacturing, with international purchasing experience preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of Master Production Scheduling (MPS), Material Requirements Planning (MRP), and Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP), with a strong understanding of inventory planning, replenishment, and stocking strategies.
• Familiarity with Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation tools, or advanced analytics and an interest in applying these technologies to improve supply chain planning, inventory management, forecasting, and business processes desired.
• SAP experience desired
• Excellent analytical, organizational, interpersonal and problem-solving skills
• Proficient in Microsoft office Suite

Nice To Haves

• APICS certification desirable

Responsibilities

• Manages the global capacity planning function to maximize asset utilization and develops contingency plans as needed, both internal and external.
• Develops and executes purchasing and production plans, including purchase orders, production orders, supplier forecasts, and pre-build strategies, to achieve targeted global customer service levels while optimizing inventory, lead times, and total cost objectives for domestic and outsourced products.
• Controls movement of materials, semi-finished and finished goods for internal and external manufacturing throughout the Crayola Global distribution network.
• Leads end-to-end product lifecycle management by partnering with cross-functional teams to execute successful new product introductions, ensuring on-time launches through effective supply chain planning, while managing component phase-ins, obsolescence, and engineering changes to optimize inventory and minimize OSMI risk.
• Collaborate with cross-functional departments and outside suppliers to improve minimum order quantities, lead times and flexibility to benefit the Global Crayola supply and customer base. Support continuous improvement and Six Sigma/Lean projects
• Leads weekly or periodic meetings with internal and external stakeholders to ensure production requirements are communicated and understood.
• Collaborate with Demand Planning and Demand Control to understand forecasted needs. Maintain constant coordination with Customer service to highlight issues with supply and order configurations.
• Reconciles receipt quantity and invoice discrepancies with Crayola & Hallmark's Account Payable System.
• Manages the end-to-end product lifecycle by ensuring inventory synchronization across SAP and third-party systems, coordinating new products, discontinuations, and product changes, leading OSMI and excess inventory reduction initiatives with Finance, and partnering with Marketing and Sales to ensure product availability for launches and promotions while minimizing inventory risk and obsolescence.
• Develops and drives inventory optimization strategies by creating year-end inventory plans, monitoring slow-moving and excess inventory, managing subcontractor material flows and cycle counts, and implementing actions that improve cash flow, maximize warehouse utilization, and enhance inventory accuracy.
• Provides support for capacity and labor planning initiatives, partnering with cross-functional teams to identify and resolve capacity constraints as business needs require.
• Develops and maintains standard and ad hoc reporting, dashboards, and analytical tools within IBP, Power BI, and other platforms to support annual sales plans, customer demand requirements, inventory performance, and operational excellence initiatives.

Benefits

• Annual Bonus Potential for all Full-Time Employees
• Company Matched 401k & Employee Value Sharing Plan
• Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits for Eligible Employees
• Education Assistance Program
• Wellness Programs
• Employee Resource Groups
• Generous Product Discounts Onsite & Online
• Company Sponsored Employee Events
• Discounts on a wide variety of products and services – automotive, electronics, fitness, travel and entertainment

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree