Strategic Inventory & Planning Leader

Smalley-Steel-Rin; Lake Zurich (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401k match

Tuition Reimbursement

PTO

Life insurance

Job summary

Smalley is seeking an Inventory and Planning Manager to lead end-to-end supply chain planning, aligning demand with production capacity and supplier performance. You will drive S&OP/IBP, optimize inventory, and collaborate across Sales, Operations, and Finance to deliver service, cost efficiency, and working capital improvements.

In this role, you will manage production planning, set governance standards, and guide digital planning initiatives while leveraging ERP/MRP systems and advanced

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field.
• 8–12+ years of experience in supply chain, planning, or procurement within manufacturing.
• 3–5+ years of leadership experience managing cross-functional teams.
• Experience in high-mix, low-to-medium volume or regulated environments preferred.
• Strong expertise in ERP/MRP systems (SAP, Oracle, Epicor, etc.); Infor Syteline preferred.
• Advanced proficiency in data analysis and Excel.
• Experience with S&OP / demand planning processes.
• Understanding of lean manufacturing and inventory optimization techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead the S&OP / Integrated Business Planning process.
• Align demand forecasts, production capacity, and supply plans.
• Partner with Sales, Customer Service, and Operations to reconcile forecast vs. actual demand.
• Develop executable supply plans that balance service, cost, and inventory.
• Drive improvements in forecast accuracy and demand visibility.
• Ensure alignment between demand, capacity constraints, and material availability.
• Establish planning standards, parameters, and governance across the team.
• Define inventory strategies (safety stock, reorder points, min/max).
• Own inventory strategy across WIP and finished goods.
• Balance working capital objectives with customer service expectations.
• Develop dashboards to track planning performance and data integrity.

Skills

Data analysis

Excel

ERP/MRP systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, or related field

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Epicor

Infor Syteline

Job description

Smalley is seeking an Inventory and Planning Manager to lead end-to-end supply chain planning, aligning demand with production capacity and supplier performance. You will drive S&OP/IBP, optimize inventory, and collaborate across Sales, Operations, and Finance to deliver service, cost efficiency, and working capital improvements.

In this role, you will manage production planning, set governance standards, and guide digital planning initiatives while leveraging ERP/MRP systems and advanced