Master Planner (Cleveland)

Master Planner

Greater Cleveland, OH

$110,000-$125,000

We have an exciting opportunity supporting a great organization seeking a Master Planner to oversee forecasting and demand planning for essential operational supplies. This individual will lead forecasting initiatives, develop data-driven planning models, and partner with cross-functional teams to optimize inventory levels, improve forecast accuracy, and support overall supply chain performance.

The successful candidate will combine strong analytical and technical capabilities with team leadership experience, driving consistent planning practices, continuous process improvement, and alignment between forecasted demand and business requirements.

Job Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain supply forecasts across multiple product categories, planning horizons, and levels of detail to support operational and strategic objectives.
• Analyze historical trends, identify demand drivers, prepare forecasting data, develop statistical models, and evaluate forecast performance.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to investigate forecast variances, validate assumptions, and incorporate updated business intelligence into planning models.
• Utilize AI-enabled forecasting platforms and analytical tools to improve demand visibility, planning accuracy, and data-driven decision-making.
• Collaborate with supply chain and procurement leadership to develop inventory strategies for existing products, new product introductions, and product discontinuations.
• Lead daily team operations, establish priorities, delegate assignments, monitor performance, and provide technical guidance on complex planning challenges.
• Drive adherence to established planning cycles, standardized procedures, demand planning methodologies, and industry best practices.
• Train, coach, and develop team members on forecasting techniques, inventory management procedures, documented workflows, and performance expectations.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs), analyze forecast errors, and implement corrective actions to improve forecast accuracy, service levels, and inventory performance.
• Identify planning processes and behaviors that negatively affect demand projections, product availability, or inventory positioning, and implement solutions to address performance gaps.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in supply planning, partnering with procurement teams, supply network planners, supply chain analysts, and data management professionals.
• Oversee the collection, validation, analysis, and aggregation of forecasting data to support business planning and operational decisions.
• Communicate findings and recommendations through reports, dashboards, scorecards, and presentations tailored to various stakeholder groups.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain Management, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field required.
• Minimum of five years of experience in supply planning, supply chain management, materials management, or a related discipline; healthcare experience preferred.
• At least five years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including direct responsibility for managing, developing, motivating, and directing team members.
• Demonstrated understanding of supply chain operations, planning methodologies, and inventory management principles.
• Proven ability to collaborate with employees, cross-functional teams, and senior leadership to achieve organizational objectives.
• Experience analyzing data and business processes to identify trends, exceptions, performance gaps, and opportunities for improvement.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain complex information to technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing and presenting reports, scorecards, dashboards, and other performance-related materials.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams, establish performance expectations, develop employees, and drive continuous improvement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• APICS or equivalent supply chain management certification.
• Experience with SAP, including Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO), or comparable supply planning systems.
• Background in import logistics, transportation, warehousing, or related supply chain operations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including VBA, and experience with SQL, R, Python, or other tools used for data extraction, analysis, and simulation.
• Experience with data visualization and business intelligence platforms such as Tableau or Power BI