Strategy Insights & Planning Consultant

ZS • New York, NY

3d • Hybrid

About The Position

ZS is a management consulting and technology firm focused on improving life and how we live it. We transform ideas into impact by bringing together data, science, technology and human ingenuity to deliver better outcomes for all. ZS is seeking a Supply Chain Planning Consultant to help clients improve planning processes and decision-making across demand, supply, inventory, production, and capacity planning. This role is ideal for experienced planners who understand how planning organizations operate and can translate that experience into practical solutions for clients. You will work across planning transformation initiatives, including demand forecasting, S&OP, supply planning, inventory optimization, production scheduling, capacity planning, and emerging AI-enabled planning solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Business, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related field required. Advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in supply chain planning, including demand planning, supply planning, inventory planning, forecasting, production planning, or scheduling.
• Hands-on experience working as a planner, planning supervisor, planning manager, or in a closely related supply chain role.
• Strong understanding of S&OP, forecasting, inventory management, capacity planning, and production planning.
• Experience working with APS and ERP systems, such as SAP, Oracle Planning, Kinaxis, RELEX, or similar platforms.
• Experience using planning systems as a business user and supporting planning process or technology implementations.
• Ability to translate complex planning challenges into practical process, analytics, and technology solutions.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading workstreams or teams and working with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Fluency in English
• Client-first mentality
• Intense work ethic
• Collaborative spirit and problem-solving approach
• Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States that does not now or in the future require employer sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Life sciences experience preferred, although candidates with strong planning experience in other industries will also be considered.
• Exposure to advanced analytics, machine learning, optimization, or AI-enabled supply chain planning is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead client workstreams across demand planning, forecasting, supply planning, inventory planning, production planning, scheduling, S&OP, and capacity planning.
• Assess current planning processes and identify opportunities to improve planning effectiveness, service levels, inventory, and operational performance.
• Support rough-cut capacity planning, network planning and design, and long-term capacity planning initiatives.
• Apply hands-on planning experience to design and deploy improved planning processes, workflows, and ways of working.
• Partner with planners, planning supervisors, and managers to understand business requirements and support adoption of new planning approaches.
• Support planning technology initiatives involving APS and ERP platforms, including systems such as SAP IBP, Oracle Planning, Kinaxis, OMP, Blue Yonder, Relex, and o9, primarily from a business and end-user perspective.
• Collaborate with Operations leaders to shape use cases for Decision Intelligence platforms like Aera, Lyric, Palantir Foundry, and similar platforms.
• Develop recommendations and client deliverables across planning strategy, process improvement, operating models, and analytics.
• Support advanced planning use cases such as machine learning-driven forecasting, demand and supply planning as a service, inventory segmentation and modeling, and detailed production scheduling.
• Contribute to emerging AI and agentic solutions for demand and supply planning, S&OP, disruption management, and KPI root cause analysis.
• Manage project workstreams, client relationships, timelines, and deliverables while mentoring junior team members.

Benefits

• Comprehensive total rewards package that supports your health and well‑being, financial future, time away, and professional development.
• Robust skills‑building programs
• Multiple career progression paths
• Internal mobility
• Deeply collaborative culture

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level