Inventory Planning Manager

CareersInFood.com; Rocky Mount (NC); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

CareersInFood.com is seeking a Planning & Inventory Manager for a fast-paced frozen food manufacturing facility in North Carolina. You will connect demand, plant capacity, and material availability to build dependable schedules and sustain strong inventory performance.

Responsibilities include managing production plans, coordinating with multiple functions (Procurement, Logistics, Quality, Sales), and driving continuous improvement in inventory turns, waste reduction, and food safety practices.

Qualifications

• Requires 5+ years of inventory planning, control, and manufacturing planning experience.
• Experience in food manufacturing, frozen foods, or CPG preferred.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain short- and long-term production schedules based on demand, capacity, and inventory targets.
• Own inventory targets and analyze WIP and FG levels, coordinating with production and packaging teams.
• Monitor material availability and coordinate with procurement and operations on contingencies.
• Lead demand planning and forecasting efforts, driving S&OP processes and forecast accuracy.
• Ensure inventory accuracy and coordinate cycle counts, physical inventories, and loss prevention.

Skills

Production Planning

Inventory Control

MRP

Demand Forecasting

Analytical Thinking

Problem Solving

Leadership & Team Development

Decision Making

Customer Focus

Education

Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management

Equivalent experience may be considered

Tools

SAP

Power BI

ERP/WMS systems

Job description

Are you a hands-on supply chain professional who thrives on keeping production plans organized, inventory visibility accurate, and cross-functional teams aligned? We’re looking for a Planning & Inventory Manager to support production planning, inventory coordination, materials planning, and supply chain communication for a fast-paced frozen food manufacturing facility.

In this role, you’ll play a key part in connecting customer demand, plant capacity, material availability, and inventory performance. You’ll collaborate closely with Production, Procurement, Quality, Warehousing, Logistics, Packaging, Sales, Customer Service, and the Production Raw Material team to help build dependable schedules, identify constraints, reduce waste, improve service levels, and support a strong food safety culture.

Key Responsibilities

Production Planning Support & Scheduling

• Partner with the Production Planning Manager to develop and maintain short-term and long-term production schedules based on demand forecasts, customer orders, inventory targets, and manufacturing capacity.
• Balance production requirements with labor availability, equipment capacity, cold storage constraints, and material availability.
• Coordinate schedule changes to address customer priorities, production disruptions, and supply shortages.
• Monitor schedule attainment and recommend corrective actions when targets are not met.
• Co-lead daily and weekly planning meetings with the Production Planning Manager, Packaging Manager, operations, and supply chain teams.

Inventory Management

• Own inventory targets and inventory-level analysis for work-in-process and finished goods; coordinate with the Production Planning Manager on raw material requirements and with the Packaging Manager on packaging material targets and availability.
• Establish and maintain inventory policies, safety stock levels, reorder points, and inventory targets.
• Monitor inventory aging and shelf-life requirements to minimize product obsolescence and waste.
• Ensure proper stock rotation practices, including FIFO and FEFO methodologies.
• Analyze inventory trends and implement strategies to improve inventory turns and working capital performance.

Material Availability Coordination

• Monitor inventory status and shortage risks for ingredients, production supplies, and packaging materials; elevate availability concerns to the Production Planning Manager, Packaging Manager, Procurement, and Operations as appropriate.
• Partner closely with the Production Planning Manager on raw material requirements and delivery schedules, and with the Packaging Manager on packaging material requirements and delivery schedules; this role does not directly procure materials but works closely with both to align supply with production and inventory needs.
• Use systems to review material requirements, inventory positions, planning parameters, and shortage risks that may affect inventory targets, production readiness, and customer service.
• Identify potential material shortages and coordinate with Procurement, Production Planning, Packaging, Logistics, and Operations on contingency options that protect inventory availability, production readiness, and customer service.
• Provide inventory, shortage, usage, and service-impact data to support Procurement-led supplier performance reviews and inventory optimization initiatives.

Demand Planning & Forecasting

• Partner with Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service to review forecasts and demand changes.
• Analyze demand variability and recommend inventory strategies that support customer service goals.
• Lead the initiative establishing the Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) process.
• Track forecast accuracy and identify opportunities for improvement.

Inventory Accuracy & Warehouse Coordination

• Monitor inventory transaction accuracy in tracking or ERP systems, identify process gaps, and partner with Production, Warehouse, Logistics, and Quality teams to correct recurring issues.
• Partner with the Logistics/Customer Service Manager and warehouse teams on cycle count and physical inventory programs, supporting count planning, variance analysis, reconciliation, and corrective-action follow-up.
• Investigate inventory discrepancies, perform variance analysis, and coordinate corrective actions with Warehouse, Logistics, Production, Packaging, and Quality teams as appropriate.
• Provide inventory projections, aging data, volume forecasts, and service-risk information to the Logistics/Customer Service Manager and warehouse leadership to support frozen storage utilization and inventory location decisions.
• Partner with Logistics, Warehouse, and Quality teams to support inventory accuracy, product traceability, stock rotation, and escalation of inventory-related cold-chain concerns throughout storage and distribution.
• Analyze planning, inventory, demand, and service-level data to identify opportunities for cost reduction, inventory optimization, and process improvements within the planning and inventory management scope.
• Develop and implement standard operating procedures for planning and inventory management activities.
• Lead inventory-focused initiatives to reduce stockouts, overstocks, aging inventory, product obsolescence, and inventory write-offs; partner with Logistics, Warehouse, Quality, and Operations on product-loss causes related to handling, storage, or quality events.
• Support Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives related to planning, inventory control, material flow, warehouse coordination, and service-level performance.

Compliance & Food Safety

• Ensure planning and inventory management processes follow established food safety standards, GMPs, HACCP, traceability, and company policy requirements.
• Support internal and external audits when required.
• Maintain traceability and lot control requirements for all inventory transactions.

Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, Logistics, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
• Equivalent experience may be considered.

Experience

• 5+ years of experience in inventory planning, inventory control, supply chain planning, materials coordination, demand planning, or related operations within a manufacturing environment; production planning experience preferred.
• Experience in food manufacturing, frozen foods, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or related industries strongly preferred.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems such as SAP is a plus.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of production planning, inventory control, MRP, and demand forecasting.
• Experience with Microsoft Power BI
• Experience working with ERP and warehouse management systems.
• Ability to analyze large data sets and translate findings into actionable plans.
• Knowledge of S&OP processes and inventory optimization techniques.
• Supply Chain Planning
• Inventory Optimization
• Demand Forecasting
• Analytical Thinking
• Problem Solving
• Organizational Skills
• Leadership & Team Development
• Change Management
• Decision Making
• Customer Focus

Physical & Environmental Requirements

• Ability to work in a manufacturing environment, including occasional exposure to refrigerated and frozen storage areas.
• Ability to walk production and warehouse floors occasionally.
• Ability to operate standard office equipment and computer systems.

This position plays a critical role in ensuring uninterrupted production, optimized inventory investment, and superior customer service while supporting operational excellence in a frozen food manufacturing operation.

If you’re energized by solving planning challenges, improving inventory visibility, and partnering with logistics, packaging, raw material, and production teams to help manufacturing deliver with confidence, we’d like to hear from you.