Supply Chain Planner

About Wakefern

Wakefern Food Corp. is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the United States and supports its co-operative members' retail operations, trading under the ShopRite®, Price Rite®, The Fresh Grocer®, Dearborn Markets®, and Gourmet Garage® banners.

Employing an innovative approach to wholesale business services, Wakefern focuses on helping the independent retailer compete in a big business world while providing services including innovative technology, private label development, and best-in-class procurement practices.

Summary

The Supply Chain Planner is responsible for being a supply chain expert for their category/items.Modeling a customer centric approach to deliver the right quantity and freshness at the right time, while minimizing the cost to serve. This includes managing demand planning and fulfillment for complex categories/items in a robust and agile supply chain with a focus on maximizing sales while optimizing return on inventory. The Supply Chain Planner will develop cross-functional partnerships to analyze end to end supply chain driving speed, frequency, predictability, and cost effectiveness for their items and vendors. The Supply Chain Manager balances conflicting priorities from various partners by leveraging analytics to influence decision making.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements

• 4-year College degree in Business/Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field.
• Ability to forecast inventory levels to maximize financial goals and ROI.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and analysis skills are required.
• Knowledge of operations, computer systems, and applications.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite: Excel, PowerPoint, Rapid
• Ability to prepare clear, concise documents for general and technical needs.
• Demonstrated skill in interviewing users and identifying their information needs.
• Demonstrated ability to organize and manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Core Functions

The essential job functions of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Review and respond to exceptions from system recommended orders
• Monitor purchase order life cycle, proactively resolving issues
• Identify potential issues inside the lead-time window, develop proactive action plans to limit impact to customer
• Analyze in-season and holiday flow to satisfy customer demand while delivering expected return on investment
• Utilize system generated forecast to increase frequency and speed to market
• Create, maintain, and negotiate supplier constraints
• Track and report performance on established KPI’s such as service level, inventory turnover, sales, gross margin, etc.
• Oversee a group of VMI/co-manage suppliers
• Develop demand plans at multiple levels of aggregation and time horizons by analyzing historical sales trends.
• Lead cross-functional research activities to reconcile significant variances, and refine forecast model for pre-season demand forecast.
• Identify demand-driving variables such as price, weather, promotional activity, and substitution affect to create in-season demand projections.
• Collaborate with merchants, marketing, and suppliers to ensure current and accurate information is used for demand forecast.
• Influence merchant contract negotiations by providing input to volume planning.
• Influence Category Manager Supplier selection.
• Leverage forecast data to improve speed to market and lead collaborative meetings with suppliers.
• Analyze transportation modes and recommend alternative methods to reduce cost to serve.
• Collaborate with operations, suppliers, and merchants to improve operational efficiencies.
• Lead supplier collaboration meetings to optimize end to end supply chain.
• Consolidate daily and weekly reporting for team and peers as assigned.
• Communicate with operations and members as needed.

Working Conditions & Physical Demands

• Ability to sit/stand in front of a computer for long periods of time.
• Ability to participate in retail store visits
• Ability to travel as required
• Ability to meet the company’s four day in office requirement.

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $70,000 - $100,000 annually. Placement in the range depends on several factors, including experience, skills, education, geography, and budget considerations.

Wakefern is proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, well-being, and professional development of our Associates. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, a 401(k)-retirement plan with company match & annual company contribution, paid time off, holidays, and parental leave. Associates also enjoy access to wellness and family support programs, fitness reimbursement, educational and training opportunities through our corporate university, and a collaborative, team-oriented work environment. Many of these benefits are fully or partially funded by the company, with some subject to eligibility requirements.

About The Work

This job description is intended to set forth the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of the work performed by associates for this position. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of associates to do this job. Associates may be assigned additional responsibilities as necessary. The Company reserves the right to revise this job description at any time and to require associates to perform other tasks as circumstances or conditions of its business, competitive considerations or the work environment changes. This document describes the position currently available and is not an employment contract.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. If requested, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The position covered by this Job Description is expressly declared to be “at will,” meaning Wakefern has the right to terminate the incumbent’s employment at any time, with or without cause. Any written or oral promises or representations to the contrary are expressly disavowed and should not be relied upon by any associate. Any change to this “at will” employment status must be in writing and signed by the Vice President of Human Resource.