Strategic Labor Planning & Forecasting Lead

gategroup; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Gate Gourmet, a gategroup company, is seeking a Labor Planning and Forecasting Manager in North America. The role focuses on labor planning, scheduling and rostering for both short and long term horizons, aligned with demand and operations leadership.

You will drive up efficiency, maintain a skill matrix, and produce regular reporting while collaborating with HR on labor rules. 10–25% travel is expected; this is a full-time exempt position based in the Chicago area.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, preferably Industrial Engineering or Business with Supply Chain focus.
• 3+ years in lean manufacturing with labor planning/rostering and KPI follow-up.
• Fluent in written and verbal English; second language is a plus.
• Excellent IT skills and experience with ERP/MIS systems.
• Solid knowledge of union rules and labor laws; able to drive process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Lead labor planning, scheduling, and rostering for long and short term horizons.
• Coordinate with operations leaders to assemble schedules based on demand.
• Develop and maintain a skill matrix and FTE efficiency metrics.
• Generate daily line up sheets and support weekly forecasting meetings.
• Enforce shift bidding procedures and ensure timely submissions.
• Maintain vacation tracker and provide regular labor reports.

Skills

Autonomous work

Work under pressure

Staff planning & rostering

Self-motivated & proactive

Change-minded & flexible

Education

Degree in Engineering

Tools

Advanced IT knowledge

ERP/MIS experience

Excel, Word, Outlook, Access, SharePoint

Production & labor planning

Job description

Gate Gourmet, a gategroup company, is seeking a Labor Planning and Forecasting Manager in North America. The role focuses on labor planning, scheduling and rostering for both short and long term horizons, aligned with demand and operations leadership.

You will drive up efficiency, maintain a skill matrix, and produce regular reporting while collaborating with HR on labor rules. 10–25% travel is expected; this is a full-time exempt position based in the Chicago area.