Raw Materials Planner

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc.; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 64,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is seeking a skilled Inventory Planner to manage raw material investment at the plant level, ensuring packaging and ingredient stock aligns with the production plan. You will coordinate with Procurement, Vendors, and 3PLs to safeguard supply continuity and update MRP accuracy.

The role requires 2+ years in materials planning, strong Excel skills, SAP knowledge, and on-site presence. CPIM is preferred; bachelor’s degree or equivalent is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Supply Chain/related field; 2+ years in materials/inventory planning.
• 2 years in materials/inventory planning, purchasing, or supply chain coordination in a food/bev/CPG environment.
• Experience creating/managing Purchase Orders and Stock Transfer Orders in an ERP/MRP system.
• Knowledge of ERP/MRP; SAP/SAP S/4HANA preferred.
• Intermediate-to-advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups) for reporting.
• APICS CPIM certification preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication; cross-team coordination.
• On-site work required.

Responsibilities

• Create Stock Transfers and monitor delivery performance from centralized 3PL to plants.
• Create and monitor delivery performance of purchase orders into the plant.
• Coordinate procurement, vendor, and 3PL to inform Plant Scheduling of material status and risks.
• Verify plant inventory accuracy to feed MRP and KPI reporting.
• Establish and maintain safety stock levels with SAP ERP to support planning.

Skills

Inventory planning

Purchase orders

ERP/MRP navigation

Excel (pivot/lookup)

Communication skills

On-site work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain/Related field

Tools

SAP / SAP S/4HANA

Job description

Manage the investment of Raw Material inventory at Plant level to maintain the targeted levels of packaging and ingredient materials to ensure continuity of supply to support Plant Production Plan

Purpose of this Role

• Manage the investment of Raw Material inventory at Plant level to maintain the targeted levels of packaging and ingredient materials to ensure continuity of supply to support Plant Production Plan

Primary Accountabilities

• Tactical (Daily)
  • Create Stock Transfer following agreed upon process and monitor delivery performance from centralized 3PL warehouse to their respective plant
  • Create and monitor delivery performance of Purchase Orders for items planned to purchase directly into the plant from Vendors respecting vendor lead time and ordering parameters
  • Orchestrate communication between Procurement, Vendor, and 3PL Partners to keep Plant Scheduling team aware of the status of material deliveries and any risks to the production plan.
  • Verify the accuracy of Plant level inventories in the Raw Material Warehouse to ensure we are feeding the Network Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) process with accurate data. This is accomplished through monitoring the performance of the Warehouse Cycle Count Program and the Process Order Consumption process and collaborating with Plant Warehousing and Manufacturing Teams.
• Strategic
  • Establish and maintain targeted safety stock levels for the plant site in conjunction with Plant Scheduling Manager/Supervisor with SAP ERP system to drive accurate Material Planning Requirement

Measures of Success

• Drive for 65 (Shared with Procurement) - Eliminate Filler downtime due Material Shortages
• Raw Material Inventory Management
  • Raw Material Inventory Turns/Investment Performance Reporting
  • Raw Material Warehouse Capacity Utilization (Shared with WH Team)
  • Raw Material inventory Health Reporting (Maintenance of Targeted Safety Stocks)
  • RM Inventory Accuracy Management & Reporting (Shared with Plant WH) - 99.5% Location Record Goal
• Process Order and Work Center Reconciliation (Shared with Production Operations teams) - All Process Orders Closed within 24 Hours of Completion.
• STO/PO Management
  • PO/STO Order Fulfillment Rate
  • STO Truckload Utilization - Are we effectively using our Truckload capacity
  • Purchase Order Data Integrity - Accuracy of Delivery Dates and Quantities and proper closing of PO’s/STO’s.

Reporting Relationships

• Direct to Procurement Manager/Director
• Dotted line to Plant Scheduling Manager/Supervisor

Performance Management

• Accountability of Procurement Manager to deliver with consultation and input from Plant Level Production Scheduling Manager/Supervisor and Plant Managers

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain Management, Business, Logistics, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience (2+ years in materials/inventory planning with an Associates Degree) will be considered in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree.
• 2 years of experience in materials/inventory planning, purchasing, or supply chain coordination, ideally within a food, beverage, or CPG manufacturing environment.
• Direct experience creating and managing Purchase Orders and Stock Transfer Orders within an ERP/MRP environment.
• Working knowledge of an ERP/MRP system required; SAP or SAP S/4HANA experience strongly preferred.
• Intermediate-to-advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, lookup functions) to support inventory and performance metric reporting.
• APICS CPIM certification, or active pursuit of, preferred.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to coordinate effectively across Plant Scheduling/Warehouse Teams, Procurement, and 3PL partners.
• Ability to work on-site.

Pay: $64,000 -$85,000 per year*

• The salary range listed for this position represents the good faith and reasonable minimum and maximum pay for this role at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, training, knowledge, education, and overall qualifications. The posted salary range reflects just one component of our total rewards package. Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.