Strategic Material Planner | Hybrid in Chicago

Unilever; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 71,000 - 107,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligible

LTI eligible

Health benefits

Job summary

Unilever is seeking a Sr. Material Planner in Chicago (Kilbourn factory) for a hybrid role with three days in-office and two days remote. You will manage sourcing, expediting, and inventory strategies to support production and customer service while balancing costs.

The role interfaces across procurement, production, and logistics teams to optimize material flow. You will drive continuous improvement using MRP data, maintain master data, and influence stakeholders without direct authority.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an analytical discipline (e.g., supply chain, engineering, math, economics).
• Minimum 3 years in supply chain; at least 2 years in material requirements planning preferred.
• Ability to balance competing objectives across teams and influence without direct authority.
• Understanding of data-mining techniques, root cause analysis, and statistics.
• Proficiency with PC tools, especially Excel; SAP ECC knowledge a plus.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate material requirements based on MRP; requisition and expedite raw and packaging materials to support a flexible production schedule.
• Implement and adhere to inventory strategy to support business needs defined by CMRP.
• Monitor inventory and minimize waste for obsoletes and stockouts; optimize data feeds between systems.
• Manage master data to optimize planning and ensure accurate system outputs.
• Handle invoicing exceptions and support material launches and set-ups for flawless launches.
• Interface with Production Managers, Procurement, Warehouse, Transportation, Suppliers, QA, R&D, and other sites to ensure reliable production schedules.
• Lead change by adopting best practices and new tools; apply World Class Manufacturing concepts to identify losses and drive process improvements.

Skills

Analytical skills

Supply chain experience

MS Excel

SAP ECC knowledge

Data mining / statistics

Influencing without authority

Independent / team player

Education

Bachelor’s degree in analytical discipline

Tools

MS Excel

SAP ECC

Job description

Unilever is seeking a Sr. Material Planner in Chicago (Kilbourn factory) for a hybrid role with three days in-office and two days remote. You will manage sourcing, expediting, and inventory strategies to support production and customer service while balancing costs.

The role interfaces across procurement, production, and logistics teams to optimize material flow. You will drive continuous improvement using MRP data, maintain master data, and influence stakeholders without direct authority.