Sr. Systems Specialist: Planning

Lego Group; Richmond (VA); Hybrid; USD 104,000 - 156,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid Working

Relocation assistance

Bonus scheme

Employee discounts

Job summary

The LEGO Group in Virginia seeks a Senior Systems Specialist to drive planning-system implementations and data governance for Production Planning, Shop Floor, Materials, and Import/Export. You will help design, configure, and support systems that balance demand with capacity while integrating SAP HANA and Kinaxis as part of the startup phase.

You will collaborate with global teams, translate operational needs into system solutions, and strengthen master data, reporting, and user capability

Qualifications

• ERP system implementation or ERP development experience supporting production planning, manufacturing, materials planning, and/or inventory control.
• Experience with data management tools, databases, system design, and data integrity.
• Experience working with technical or Product Lead teams using Agile methodology.
• Demonstrated understanding of manufacturing planning processes, including material flow, inventory control, capacity, and constraint management.
• Experience implementing, improving, or supporting systems and tools used within production planning or inventory-management environments.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot system and data issues, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions.
• Ability to collaborate across business and technical functions and work effectively with both local and global stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to build system capability and share technical knowledge with business users.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support system implementations, upgrades, and improvements across Production Planning, Shop Floor Planning, Materials Planning, and Import/Export, including planning tools supporting the Virginia manufacturing site.
• Represent Planning functions in global project forums and system workstreams, translating business requirements into system solutions and coordinating implementation readiness.
• Serve as a systems subject-matter expert, providing guidance on system execution, best practices, and global standards while strengthening user capability.
• Partner with Production Planning, global specialists, Product Development, and IT development teams to identify and implement solutions that improve planning efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
• Strengthen data integrity and governance across planning master data, planning parameters, ECOs, and related processes.
• Develop and improve reporting and data capabilities, including tools that increase the speed, accuracy, and value of information used by Planning teams.
• Troubleshoot complex system and data issues, perform root-cause analysis, and coordinate solutions and escalation with appropriate local and global teams.
• Develop system training and user test plans and facilitate best-practice sharing to strengthen technical capability across the Planning department.
• Partner with the Productivity Lead and technical teams to identify and implement solutions that reduce manual workload, minimize errors, and improve process efficiency.
• Develop and streamline reporting and visualization capabilities, including the use of tools such as Power BI, to improve access to accurate and actionable planning information.
• Serve as the local escalation point for system-related issues and collaborate with global specialists and IT development teams to resolve problems and continuously improve planning capabilities.

Skills

ERP implementation

Data governance

Agile methodologies

Manufacturing planning

System troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Process improvement

Tools

SAP HANA

Kinaxis

Power BI

Job description

Job Description

Imagine helping build the systems and planning capabilities behind a new U.S. manufacturing operation. As our Senior Systems Specialist, you’ll connect manufacturing planning, technology, and data to help Production Planning deliver feasible, reliable plans as our Virginia manufacturing site continues its startup and ramp-up.

About The Role

As our Senior Systems Specialist, you’ll serve as a key systems expert within Production Planning & Control, supporting Production Planning, Shop Floor Planning, Materials Planning, and Import/Export business functions.

You’ll help lead the implementation of the systems and tools that enable our teams to balance demand against manufacturing capacity, including machine time, labor, and material constraints. Working closely with local planning teams, global specialists, Product Development, and IT development teams, you’ll translate operational needs into effective system solutions.

This role extends beyond day-to-day system support. You’ll contribute to new system implementations and upgrades, strengthen master data and reporting capabilities, develop user expertise, troubleshoot complex system and data issues, and help establish scalable planning processes as our Virginia manufacturing operation grows.

During your first year, you’ll play an important role in initializing and establishing the site's planning tools, including supporting the implementation of SAP HANA and Kinaxis as part of the factory startup.

Core Responsibilities

• Lead and support system implementations, upgrades, and improvements across Production Planning, Shop Floor Planning, Materials Planning, and Import/Export, including planning tools supporting the Virginia manufacturing site.
• Represent Planning functions in global project forums and system workstreams, translating business requirements into system solutions and coordinating implementation readiness.
• Serve as a systems subject-matter expert, providing guidance on system execution, best practices, and global standards while strengthening user capability.
• Partner with Production Planning, global specialists, Product Development, and IT development teams to identify and implement solutions that improve planning efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
• Strengthen data integrity and governance across planning master data, planning parameters, ECOs, and related processes.
• Develop and improve reporting and data capabilities, including tools that increase the speed, accuracy, and value of information used by Planning teams.
• Troubleshoot complex system and data issues, perform root-cause analysis, and coordinate solutions and escalation with appropriate local and global teams.

Tasks

• Develop and coordinate implementation plans, requirements, risks, dependencies, testing, and business-readiness activities for planning-system implementations and upgrades.
• Support the initialization and implementation of key planning tools for the Virginia factory startup and ramp-up, including SAP HANA and Kinaxis.
• Work directly with Production Planners and other functional users to understand operational needs and translate those needs into effective system, process, and reporting improvements.
• Coordinate planning master-data updates, monitor data accuracy, and troubleshoot issues affecting ECOs, planning parameters, master data, and system execution.
• Develop system training and user test plans and facilitate best-practice sharing to strengthen technical capability across the Planning department.
• Partner with the Productivity Lead and technical teams to identify and implement solutions that reduce manual workload, minimize errors, and improve process efficiency.
• Develop and streamline reporting and visualization capabilities, including the use of tools such as Power BI, to improve access to accurate and actionable planning information.
• Serve as the local escalation point for system-related issues and collaborate with global specialists and IT development teams to resolve problems and continuously improve planning capabilities.

Required Qualifications

Based on the intake materials, I would currently make these the requirements

• ERP system implementation or ERP development experience supporting production planning, manufacturing, materials planning, and/or inventory control.
• Experience with data management tools, databases, system design, and data integrity.
• Experience working with technical or Product Lead teams using Agile methodology.
• Demonstrated understanding of manufacturing planning processes, including material flow, inventory control, capacity, and constraint management.
• Experience implementing, improving, or supporting systems and tools used within production planning or inventory-management environments.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot system and data issues, identify root causes, and develop effective solutions.
• Ability to collaborate across business and technical functions and work effectively with both local and global stakeholders.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to build system capability and share technical knowledge with business users.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with SAP HANA within a manufacturing, production planning, inventory, or supply-chain environment.
• Experience with Kinaxis or another Advanced Planning System (APS).
• Experience within a CPG or complex manufacturing environment, including material flow, production planning, inventory control, and constraint management.
• Experience successfully implementing ERP solutions such as SAP, JDA, Oracle, or comparable platforms.
• Proficiency with digital visualization and reporting tools such as Power BI.
• Experience supporting continuous improvement initiatives involving business processes, systems, or data.
• CPIM, CSCP, or comparable supply-chain certification is a plus.

What You'll Build

You’ll help build the systems and data foundation that enables Production Planning to deliver feasible, reliable plans as our Virginia manufacturing operation grows.

You’ll support the implementation of critical planning tools, strengthen master-data accuracy and reporting, improve how teams use technology, and create scalable system capabilities that help Planning effectively manage demand, capacity, inventory, materials, and production constraints.

Life on the Team

You’ll be part of the Production Planning & Control organization, reporting to the Production Planning & Control Director. The organization brings together Material Planning, Production Planning, Finished Goods and Capacity Planning, Systems, Import/Export, Productivity, and Planning & Control leadership.

Production Planning & Control helps ensure the manufacturing site has a feasible production plan by balancing demand against available machine capacity, labor, and materials.

This position has no direct reports and will work closely with local Production Planners while building strong relationships with global specialists, Product Development, and IT development teams. Success will depend on your ability to collaborate, influence, solve problems, and connect operational needs with technical solutions.

What Success Looks Like

Success means establishing reliable planning systems and data that enable Production Planning to effectively support the startup and continued ramp-up of our Virginia manufacturing operation.

You’ll help deliver critical planning-system implementations, strengthen system and user capabilities, and build productive partnerships across Planning and technical teams. You’ll also help improve the accuracy of ECOs, planning master data, and planning parameters while identifying opportunities to simplify processes and improve productivity.

Over time, you’ll help create scalable Planning systems and processes that can continue to evolve alongside the manufacturing operation.

Additional Details

• Best of both - 3 days onsite & 2 days remote
• Relocation assistance is available for this position.
• This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.

Compensation

The salary for this position has a range of $104,327.00 - $156,491.00 based on anticipated responsibilities, market benchmarks, and organizational constraints. The LEGO Group carefully considers a wide range of compensation factors, including but not limited to prior experience, skills, expertise, location, internal equity, and other considerations permitted by law. The comprehensive remuneration details, inclusive of benefits, will be communicated upon finalisation of the employment offer.

What’s in it for you?

Here are some of what to expect

• Family, Care, Leave - We offer enhanced paid leave options for those important times.
• Insurances - All colleagues are covered by our life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
• Wellbeing - We want you to be your best self, so you’ll have access to the Headspace App and lots of wellbeing initiatives and programs run by local teams where you are based
• Colleague Discount - We know you'll love to build so from day 1 you will qualify for our generous colleague discount.
• Bonus - We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached and if eligible, you'll be rewarded through our bonus scheme
• Your workplace - Your workplace will be the office, store or factory specified in this advert.
• Hybrid Working - Our hybrid work model, Best of Both offers you the option of flexibility to work from home up to two days per week. Your People Leader will discuss the principles of the model, including how this option applies to your role and team.

We strive to create a diverse, dynamic and inclusive culture of play at the LEGO Group, where everyone feels safe, valued and they belong.

The LEGO Group is highly committed to equal employment opportunity and equal pay and seeks to encourage applicants from all backgrounds (eg. sex, gender identity or expression, race/ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion and Veteran status) to apply for roles in our team.

We support our employees in being there for the moments that matter in life and celebrate families of all kinds, the loved ones that make us who we are. Being part of the LEGO Group also means taking part in our annual Play Day, playing a part in building a sustainable future and continuing our mission to “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow.”

The LEGO Group is fully committed to Children’s Rights and Child Wellbeing across the globe. Candidates offered positions with high engagement with children are required to take part in Child Safeguarding Background Screening, as a condition of the offer.

Thank you for sharing our global commitment to Children’s Rights.

We conduct drug screening as a part of our drug free workplace policy and in support of our commitment to the health and safety of our employees.

Online Application Accessibility Statement; which is intended for people with disabilities - LEGO systems endeavors to make www.LEGO.com/jobs accessible to any and all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our web site or need assistance completing the application process, please contact the HR Service Desk at 1.860-763-7777, option #3. Please note, these communication channels should be used for those having difficulty accessing our on-line channels, not to inquire about job opportunities.

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