Sr. Inventory & Supply Planner (Food & Beverage, Hybrid)

CPG Connect; Vaughan; Hybrid; CAD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable food and beverage company in Vaughan is looking for a Senior Inventory & Supply Planner to manage inventory levels and enhance supply chain processes. This permanent, full-time position requires experience in inventory planning within the food industry, especially with perishable goods. The role involves collaboration with various teams to ensure effective product availability while adhering to safety regulations. The ideal candidate has strong analytical skills and proficiency in ERP systems.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of experience in inventory planning within the food industry.
• Experience managing perishable goods and cold chain logistics.
• Proficiency in ERP systems and advanced Excel skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain inventory models to ensure product availability.
• Monitor inventory turnover to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams for effective supply chain flow.

Skills

High degree of accuracy and detail orientation

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Excellent communication and organizational abilities

Teamwork and ability to work cross-functionally

Tools

SAP

APO

EWM

Excel

Job description

Overview

Sr. Inventory & Supply Planner (Food & Beverage, Hybrid)

Our client, a well-known Food & Beverage Consumer Goods Company, is looking to hire a seasoned Senior Inventory & Supply Planner on a Permanent, Full-Time basis to support their business. This is a Hybrid role, requiring 2-3 days in office for meetings and collaboration. The company office is located in Vaughan, Ontario.

Reporting to the Head of Supply Chain, the Senior Inventory & Supply Planner will be responsible for ensuring optimal inventory levels for semi/finished goods, timely replenishment of stock to support customer demand while minimizing waste, managing inventory, and supporting delivery accuracy targets.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain inventory models and planning parameters (e.g., safety stock levels, reorder points, production frequencies) to ensure product availability while minimizing excess.
• Monitor and analyze inventory turnover, identifying opportunities to improve stock efficiency and reduce holding costs.
• Coordinate and collaborate with Demand planning, Production, Quality, Warehouse & Distribution and the Commercial teams to ensure a cost effective and efficient flow, with high delivery service in the value chain.
• Enforce internal inventory controls and mitigate risks related to product obsolescence, clearance sales, and disposals.
• Collaborate and work closely with Sales teams to align supply plans with forecasted demand, promotional activity, and customer service expectations, ensuring inventory strategies support commercial objectives and market responsiveness.
• Lead the identification and resolution of slow-moving, blocked, or obsolete inventory to minimize financial exposure.
• Champion & lead inventory control processes (monthly cycle counts, system reconciliation and variance reporting).
• Lead the design and execution of replenishment strategies and collaborate with planning teams on products and specialty SKUs.
• Maintain and manage the inventory exposure list in collaboration with Sales & planning teams, ensuring accurate visibility of Best Before dates and stock levels across all warehouses.
• Collaborate, coordinate and effectively manage weekly inventory movements between Warehouse Locations (CMAP, CVAN, 3rd party Manufacturer) to ensure inventory is in the correct location for customer orders and in accordance with production schedules and customer requirements.
• Act as a key liaison between internal teams and third-party contract manufacturers to ensure production schedules meet demand and capacity constraints.
• Provide reports (e.g., delivery accuracy of warehouses, 3rd party manufacturers) and lead slow moving or blocked products to avoid cost exposure (e.g., waste of clear outs, vs. target inventory levels).
• Ensure effective management of CHEP pallet program, performing reconciliations and mitigating cost exposure.
• Participate and contribute to the S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning) processes.
• Manage inventory stock levels by reviewing shortage reports daily that feed into the ETA report (to report out of stocks and new arrival of stocks).
• Identify trends, risks, and opportunities through data analysis and provide actionable insights to stakeholders.
• Develop deep expertise in Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) through hands-on ownership of end-to-end VMI programs (e.g., Sobeys, Metro).
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance VMI performance, inventory turnover, and delivery accuracy metrics.
• Successfully manage inventory replenishment for key retail partners, ensuring high service levels, accurate stock visibility, and on-time deliveries to both stores and distribution centers.
• Oversee and ensure Inventory controls & procedures/policies are completed at all locations utilizing systems (APO, SAP4Hana, EWM).
• Collaborate with Procurement to manage supplier lead times, order quantities, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Drive change management with an ambitious mindset to increase planning and inventory competencies through a cost-effective approach.
• Complete WMS and SAP reconciliation reports and ensure SAP/EWM Idocs are properly cleared and inventory reconciliations/variances are completed to ensure data accuracy, inventory integrity and audit readiness.
• Ensure all inventory and supply planning activities comply with CFIA, FDA, USDA, HACCP, and other relevant food safety regulations.
• Work closely with Quality Assurance to ensure all inventory is compliant with company policy and meets food safety, industry regulations and quality standards.
• Provide weekly Replenishment forecasts to 3rd party manufacturers, as required.
• Maintain traceability and documentation for all imported and manufactured products to support audits and recalls, as required.
• Serve as a key point of contact for Customer Service to resolve inventory-related issues and support order fulfillment.
• Perform other duties, as required.

Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in inventory planning and supply planning experience within the food industry, preferably in perishable goods.
• Experience with inventory reporting, reconciliation, and variance analysis.
• Experience managing perishable goods, with an understanding of shelf-life constraints, cold chain logistics, and regulatory compliance (e.g., FDA, USDA, HACCP) a strong asset.
• Experience managing VMI programs with major retailers like Sobeys or Metro is an asset.
• Proficiency in ERP systems (e.g., SAP, APO, IBP), Warehouse Management Systems (EWM) and advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, and data analysis functions.
• Knowledge of Lean or Six Sigma methodologies is an asset.

Skills

• High degree of accuracy and detail orientation
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify process inefficiencies and implement improvements in planning, inventory control, or supply chain operations.
• Excellent communication and organizational abilities
• Teamwork and ability to work cross-functionally