Deployment Planner

Lactalis USA; Minnetonka (MN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off from day one

Education Reimbursement

Retirement plan and benefits

Comprehensive Total Rewards Program

Job summary

Lactalis USA is seeking a Deployment Planner to create and manage internal finished goods deployments, collaborating with production planners, transport and warehousing teams, customer service and demand planning to meet service targets.

You will optimize shipments, address disruptions, plan around warehouse space, seasonality, and improve KPIs through data-driven analysis. A strong background in Excel and SAP is required.

Qualifications

• Associate degree or higher required; bachelor's preferred.
• 4+ years of supply chain planning/forecasting experience.
• Experience in warehousing, transportation planning, or customer service preferred.
• Proficiency in Excel and SAP.

Responsibilities

• Build truckloads of finished goods to maintain inventory targets and maximize service to customers.
• Plan for constraints in the network, including warehouse space and dock schedules.
• Coordinate with warehousing and transportation teams to ensure carrier capacity.
• Collaborate with logistics and supply chain departments to communicate and drive results.
• Communicate expected service levels at distribution centers based on inbound/outbound flow.
• Utilize technology to optimize workflow and results.
• Respond to variances, perform root cause analysis, and communicate findings.
• Drive continuous improvement to KPI performance and process efficiency.

Skills

Excel

SAP

Forecasting

Supply chain planning

Cross-functional communication

Education

Associate's degree or equivalent

Bachelor's degree preferred

Supply chain / Engineering / Business or related field

Job description

Description

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we're committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive – whether you're just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family‑owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we're proud to produce award‑winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani Italian cheeses and ricotta, President specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone's cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond cheddar, and Parmalat milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi's, Stonyfield Organic, Brown Cow, Oui, Yoplait, Go‑Gurt, :ratio, Green Mountain Creamery, and Mountain High, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun, Gopi, and Arz.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values – Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone's unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

The Deployment Planner will create and manage internal finished goods deployments in order to satisfy regional inventory targets to service our customers. In this role the Deployment Planner will work closely with the production planners, transport and warehouse teams, customer service and demand planning to determine optimal quantities to ship in order to achieve service and spoils targets. The Deployment Planner must leverage tools and resources to efficiently create shipments while minimizing rework and shipping inefficiencies. The role will serve as the go‑to for troubleshooting service disruptions or shipping inefficiencies. This role will report to the Deployment Manager.

From your STORY to ours

• Build truckloads of finished goods product effectively to maintain inventory targets and maximize service to customers while avoiding overstock and finish goods spoils. Generate plans that account daily for new orders, netted forecasts and updated network inventory.
• Plan to account for constraints in the network, including warehouse space, drop lot capacity, trailer pools, dock schedules, and distribution center operating hours.
• Coordinate with warehousing team and transportation team to ensure ample warehouse space and carrier capacity for shipping requirements throughout the year, including for seasonality or volume spikes.
• Collaborate and build strong working relationships with various logistics and supply chain departments to effectively communicate, troubleshoot and drive results, including supply planning, industrial planning, transportation, and warehousing. Effectively communicate at multiple levels within the organization.
• Communicate expected service levels at distribution centers based on inbound flow of goods, outbound customer orders, and warehouse throughput constraints.
• Utilize technology, tools and resources to optimize workflow and results.
• Respond to variances to plan and perform root cause analysis to advise on variances and disruptions. Communicate findings and opportunities in a clear and actionable manner.
• Drive continuous improvement by proactively identifying and driving changes to improve KPIs, enhance communication and visibility and drive process efficiency.

Requirements

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Education

• Associate's degree or equivalent experience required. Bachelor's Degree preferred.
• A major in Supply chain, Engineering, Business, logistics, or related field is required.

Experience

• 4+ years Supply Chain Planning/forecasting experience is required.
• Additional cross functional experience in warehousing, transportation planning, and/or customer service preferred.

Certifications and specific knowledge

• Proficiency in Excel and general knowledge of other MS Office applications is required.
• Proficiency in SAP is required.
• Experience in the CPG industry is preferred.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities. Further, any division of the Company that is an affirmative action employer will comply with all related legal obligations.