Senior Demand Planner- Packaging & Commodities

Church Brothers, LLC; Salinas (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Church Brothers Farms seeks a Senior Demand Planner – Packaging & Commodities to own demand and supply planning for packaging and procurement for the San Luis facility. Responsibilities include analyzing inventory across carton yards, leading purchasing, and reporting on aged inventory.

Requires strong analytical skills and experience in packaging and procurement within fresh produce. The role collaborates with the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials,

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in supply chain planning, purchasing, or procurement, including forecasting and long‑range planning.
• Experience in production planning and packaging required.
• Experience in fresh produce, agriculture, or food manufacturing strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from a four‑year college or university preferred but not required.
• High School Diploma required.
• Proficient in MS Office, advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, forecasting models), PowerPoint, accounting, and invoicing.
• Experience with Tableau or similar reporting tools and ERP systems; Famous experience a plus.
• Experience with Material Requirements Planning (MRP).
• ASCM/APICS certification (CPIM or CSCP) preferred.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) required to communicate directly with carton yard, field operations, and San Luis facility personnel.

Responsibilities

• Independently analyze carton yard and facility packaging inventory, including commodity packaging, and determine order quantities across multiple locations.
• Leverage Tableau, Excel, and Famous to analyze usage trends, seasonality, and lead times for packaging, including commodity packaging, and translate findings into purchasing recommendations.
• Develop and maintain long‑term demand and supply plans for commodity packaging, aligning forecasts with seasonal transitions, production needs, vendor capacity, and lead times.
• Own purchasing of all packaging for the San Luis facility, working with the San Luis team to determine packaging needs, and manage order quantities, purchase orders, receipts, and inventory accuracy.
• Manage vendors and ensure they are complying with our min/max program.
• Participate in weekly vendor meetings prepared to discuss current inventory levels and address any related concerns.
• Determine order quantities for blanket make‑to‑order packaging from approved vendors.
• Coordinate and execute transfers of materials at the end of each season, within the carton yards, and to and from the San Luis facility.
• Create purchase orders for packaging and oversee the purchase order process.
• Identify supply risks early and recommend actions to prevent shortages, excess, and aged inventory.
• Maintain and update vendor database and contact information.
• Reconcile packaging inventories at month‑end for financials and verify pricing information.
• Prepare and present ad‑hoc reports on aged and obsolete materials to the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials.
• Work with the Carton Yard Manager to create and report third‑party billings, ensuring all ins and outs are documented.
• Work with Finance and Suppliers to resolve PO quantity and pricing issues.
• Collect and enter bills of lading (BOL) in Famous.
• Work directly with carton yard, facility, and field operations personnel.
• Support the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials by providing analytical insights, coordinating cross‑functional projects, and executing procurement operational initiatives.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Forecasting

Demand planning

Purchasing

Tableau

Excel

PowerPoint

MRP

Bilingual English/Spanish

Vendor management

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree

ASCM/APICS certification

Tools

Famous

Tableau

ERP systems

Job description

Senior Demand Planner- Packaging & Commodities

Reports To: Vice President of Packaging Procurement

Location: Salinas, CA, with travel to Holtville, CA, Yuma, AZ, and San Luis, AZ

Employment Type: Full-time, exempt (year-round position)

Church Brothers Farms is a vertically-integrated, family-owned and operated company that produces a full line of fresh vegetables year-round through our in‑house farming and harvesting programs and state‑of‑the-art processing facilities. As a grower‑owned processor, we farm the majority of our raw product, adhering to the highest standards of food safety and quality. The Church family legacy is rooted in service, innovation, and a commitment to excellence.

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:

The Senior Demand Planner – Packaging & Commodities owns demand and supply planning for packaging, including commodity packaging, and all packaging purchasing and material transfers for the San Luis facility. This role analyzes inventory performance, maintains accurate inventory levels across carton yards and facilities, resolves inventory‑related issues, places purchase orders for direct materials, and reports on current, obsolete, and aged packaging and produce inventory. The position is responsible for long‑term planning for commodity packaging and requires strong analytical skills and sound independent judgment.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILLITIES:

Independently analyze carton yard and facility packaging inventory, including commodity packaging, and determine order quantities across multiple locations, ensuring the inventory is turning at the appropriate rate.

Leverage Tableau, Excel, and Famous to analyze usage trends, seasonality, and lead times for packaging, including commodity packaging, and translate findings into purchasing recommendations.

Develop and maintain long‑term demand and supply plans for commodity packaging, aligning forecasts with seasonal transitions, production needs, vendor capacity, and lead times.

Own purchasing of all packaging for the San Luis facility, working with the San Luis team to determine packaging needs, and manage order quantities, purchase orders, receipts, and inventory accuracy.

Manage vendors and ensure they are complying with our min/max program.

Participate in weekly vendor meetings prepared to discuss current inventory levels and address any related concerns.

Determine order quantities for blanket make‑to‑order packaging from approved vendors.

Coordinate and execute transfers of materials at the end of each season, within the carton yards, and to and from the San Luis facility.

Create purchase orders for packaging and oversee the purchase order process.

Identify supply risks early and recommend actions to prevent shortages, excess, and aged inventory.

Maintain and update vendor database and contact information.

Reconcile packaging inventories at month‑end for financials and verify pricing information.

Prepare and present ad‑hoc reports on aged and obsolete materials to the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials.

Work with the Carton Yard Manager to create and report third‑party billings, ensuring all ins and outs are documented.

Work with Finance and Suppliers to resolve PO quantity and pricing issues.

Collect and enter bills of lading (BOL) in Famous.

Work directly with carton yard, facility, and field operations personnel.

Support the Vice President of Packaging Procurement and Director of Packaging Materials by providing analytical insights, coordinating cross‑functional projects, and executing procurement operational initiatives.

Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

Minimum 5 years’ experience in supply chain planning, purchasing, or procurement, including forecasting and long‑range planning.

Experience in production planning and packaging required.

Experience in fresh produce, agriculture, or food manufacturing strongly preferred.

Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from a four‑year college or university preferred but not required.

High School Diploma required.

Proficient in MS Office, advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, forecasting models), PowerPoint, accounting, and invoicing.

Experience with Tableau or similar reporting tools and ERP systems; Famous experience a plus.

Experience with Material Requirements Planning (MRP).

ASCM/APICS certification (CPIM or CSCP) preferred.

Bilingual (English/Spanish) required to communicate directly with carton yard, field operations, and San Luis facility personnel.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

Must be able to travel to Holtville, CA, Yuma, AZ, and San Luis, AZ locations as required.

Must be available to take phone calls on weekends and after hours. Weekend phone availability is a regular requirement of this role.

Flexibility to work occasional Saturdays and evenings as required by operational needs.

Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to build forecasts, analyze large data sets, and apply formulas and percentages to solve business problems.

Strong organizational, time management, and multitasking skills with excellent attention to detail and accuracy.

Self‑motivated with the ability to work in a fast‑paced environment and meet required attendance schedules.

Ability to interpret and execute instructions provided in written, verbal, or diagram form.

Skilled in solving complex problems with multiple variables and exercising sound independent judgment in non‑standard situations.

Proficient in reading and writing professional correspondence, including memos, emails, and reports, and in presenting analysis to leadership.

Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills with the ability to build lasting relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

Professional demeanor and respect for employees, clients, and all levels of the organization.

Strong verbal and written communication abilities, with a focus on clarity, professionalism, and teamwork.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees in this position. This is not intended to be a specific list of all responsibilities.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Church Brothers Farms is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.