Supply Network Planner

Upstate Niagara Cooperative; Town of Lancaster (NY); On-site; USD 80,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, a dairy cooperative owned by 200+ local farms, seeks a Supply Network Planner to develop production and milk utilization plans, optimize costs and service, and manage the S&OP process across facilities.

The role focuses on balancing customer service with manufacturing efficiency, inventory investments, and spoilage avoidance, while coordinating with operations, logistics, and finance teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, logistics or related field with 5+ years of planning experience preferred.
• APICS certification or matriculation towards certification preferred.
• Demonstrated statistical and spreadsheet analytical skills.
• Demonstrated ability to perform basic financial analysis.
• Knowledge of manufacturing, distribution, and customer service.
• Experience in Sales and Operations planning preferred.
• Good communication, presentation, interpersonal and listening skills.
• Direction or Influencing of Others

Responsibilities

• Develop & maintain an 18-month outlook of planned production, milk utilization, asset utilization, and FG inventory projections.
• Develop, manage, and maintain capacity planning models for 3-8 manufacturing facilities.
• Collaborate with Membership to understand planned milk supply.
• Lead monthly S&OP process to surface supply/demand imbalances.
• Establish inventory planning and production scheduling parameters for Master Production Schedulers.
• Coordinate with Procurement, Materials Planners & Production Schedulers on raw material and finished goods strategies.
• Lead Capacity and Inventory review discussions in S&OP Supply Review meetings.
• Analyze inventory investment costs and trends to align with company objectives.

Skills

Statistical analysis

Spreadsheet analysis

Financial analysis

Communication

Presentation

Interpersonal skills

Listening skills

Leadership / influence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business, logistics or related field

APICS certification

Tools

Ross planning system

Job description

Join a team that nourishes life from farm to table! Upstate Niagara Cooperative, proudly owned by 200+ local family farms, is one of America’s largest and most stable dairy cooperatives. Guided by farmer- and employee-led values, we process and market high-quality milk, yogurt, dips, sour cream, cottage cheese, and more under our trusted brands: Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Milk for Life®, and Intense Milk®. Here, you’ll support sustainable farming, strong communities, and the mission to deliver fresh, local dairy to families every day.

The primary function of this position is the development of supply plans for designated production facilities and production lines that attempt to understand and optimize planned milk utilization. Optimization of costs and service in support of Customer Service initiatives, milk utilization objectives, and company profitability plans. Actively manages Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process to ensure a balance between customer service, manufacturing effectiveness, inventory investment and spoilage avoidance. Manage the finished goods inventory investments. Oversee the development of utilization plans for designated warehouse facilities and transportation lanes. Track and report production, supply and fulfillment related issues and planning metrics as part of the S&OP process. Analyze capacity utilization and provide information to support business case for capacity expansion, milk supply or physical network re-alignment.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

The Supply Network Planner is responsible for the following activities:

• Work as an analytical evaluator in a wide range of supply chain opportunities to help optimize total cost and service.
• Develop & maintain a monthly forward looking 18-month outlook of planned production, milk utilization, asset utilization, and FG inventory projections for manufacturing operations accounting for new product rollouts, planned operational initiatives, and seasonal product planning.
• Develop, manage, and maintain the capacity planning models for 3-8 manufacturing facilities.
• Collaborate with Membership to maintain understanding of planned milk supply.
• Conduct monthly Supply Agreement process for designated manufacturing facilities and product categories in support of Sales and Operations Planning Process surfacing any Supply and Demand imbalances and facilitate imbalance management decision making through the S&OP Process.
• Establish inventory planning and production scheduling parameters to be executed by Master Production Schedulers within each supply facility.
• Collaborate with Procurement, plant located Materials Planners & Production Schedulers to align raw material, production, and finished good strategies.
• Develop materials for and lead discussion of Capacity and Inventory review in S&OP Supply Review Meeting.
• Analyze and review inventory stocking policies and strategies quarterly to minimize spoilage, maximize service, and maximize inventory turns.
• Collaborate with Plant Operations to develop and execute product run rate review process and align with plant operations leadership on any changes to capacity definitions.
• Analyze inventory investment costs and trends to ensure they are in alignment with departmental and company objectives.
• Analyze total delivered costs (manufacturing and distribution), recommend, and implement changes to process and strategy to achieve lowest Supply Chain cost.
• Performs all accountabilities within the policies, procedures, and core values of Upstate Niagara Cooperative.
• Manage key aspects related to planning activities, acting as the main interface between manufacturing, logistics, marketing, and finance within the S&OP process.

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in business, logistics or related field with 5+ years of planning experience preferred.
• APICS certification or matriculation towards certification preferred.
• Demonstrated statistical and spreadsheet analytical skills.
• Demonstrated ability to perform basic financial analysis.
• Knowledge of manufacturing, distribution, and customer service
• Experience in Sales and Operations planning preferred.
• Good communication, presentation, interpersonal and listening skills.
• Direction or Influencing of Others

Key Working Relationships

Membership, Mfg. Operations, Transportation, Warehousing, Finance, Sales, Marketing, & Procurement

Preferred Skills:

Business Acumen

Activity

Targeted Proficiency Level

Understanding of the Manufacturing capabilities and capacities

Understanding of Supply Chain performance KPIs

Expert

Understanding of impact of Supply planning KPIs on organizational and cross-functional KPIs and vice-versa

Soft Skills

Activity

Targeted Proficiency Level

Negotiation

Decision-making

Relationship Building, Teamwork, and Collaboration

Technical / Analytical Skills

Activity

Targeted Proficiency Level

Knowledge of Advanced Planning systems & capabilities – Ross preferred.

Inventory Management

Data & Financial analytics

Problem solving

Spreadsheet Management & Presentation

Expert

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

This position will primarily operate in a fast-paced office environment that requires a combination of team-based work as well as in-depth individual analysis. This individual must be comfortable sitting/standing at workstation for extended periods of time. Must be able to operate standard office equipment such as computer, phone, copier…etc. Periodic travel to plant operations or to support customer interactions may be required.

Pay:

$80,000-$115,000 per year*

*The salary range listed for this position represents the good faith and reasonable minimum and maximum pay for this role at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, training, knowledge, education, and overall qualifications. The posted salary range reflects just one component of our total rewards package. Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.

Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.