Strategic Supply Chain Lead - Planning & Inventory

Maker's Pride; Des Plaines (IL); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental

401k

Wellness program

Job summary

Maker's Pride in Des Plaines, IL is seeking a Senior Supply Chain Specialist to drive efficient plant operations by leading advanced supply chain and production planning activities. You will coordinate delivery of food products and packaging materials, manage inventory aging, oversee shipments, and develop production schedules aligned to capacity.

This role focuses on capacity planning, materials requirement planning, and inventory management, while coordinating with customers and vendors to

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelors Degree preferred or equivalent in education, certifications and experience.
• Experience: 4+ years of supply chain experience. Experience with direct contact to customer required. Progressive experience in food and/or packaging industry preferred.
• Technical Skills: Proficient with MS Office Suite and SAP

Responsibilities

• Develops and adjusts production schedules in alignment with customer forecasts, plant capacity, and operational needs, partnering with the Supply Chain Scheduler to finalize plans in the system.
• Manages materials planning and purchasing activities, including placing orders, maintaining purchase orders, and resolving supply exceptions to support production continuity.
• Focus on meeting customer service targets per the contract % or CFR
• Oversees inventory across its lifecycle, including receipt, aging/hold management, usage, and disposition, ensuring accuracy and alignment with production requirements.
• Supports ERP system setup and maintenance, including part numbers, bills of materials, routing instructions, and product-specific requirements to ensure data integrity.
• Identifies and supports opportunities to improve inventory levels and purchase order efficiency, contributing to working capital and cost management goals.
• Coordinates outbound shipments of finished goods and residual materials, working directly or through the Outbound Specialist to ensure timely delivery.
• Maintains accurate supply chain data, including system updates, reporting, and record management to support operations and customer requirements.
• Proactively manages material changes, including customer transitions and inventory ramp-down activities, helping minimize excess and disruption.
• Works closely with directed-buy suppliers to address material shortages, delivery delays, and quality concerns, escalating issues as needed and supporting resolution.
• Supports operational billing activities, including invoicing for production and additional services where applicable.
• Provides regular updates to customers on materials status, inventory, and supply chain performance.
• Responsible for end to end materials management: Inventory set up per the optimization playbook, PO placement/revision to the DOH targets, inventory aging, inventory usage or disposition and follows through to completion.

Skills

MS Office

SAP

Material handling

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Maker's Pride in Des Plaines, IL is seeking a Senior Supply Chain Specialist to drive efficient plant operations by leading advanced supply chain and production planning activities. You will coordinate delivery of food products and packaging materials, manage inventory aging, oversee shipments, and develop production schedules aligned to capacity.

This role focuses on capacity planning, materials requirement planning, and inventory management, while coordinating with customers and vendors to