Director of Supply Planning Chain
Job Description
- We are seeking an experienced Director of Supply Planning Operations to lead end-to-end planning across a dynamic manufacturing and co-manufacturing network. This role oversees production, raw materials, and inventory deployment planning, driving alignment with business goals to ensure service, cost, and efficiency targets are met. The ideal candidate will bring strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous improvement experience to build scalable processes and high-performing teams in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
- Lead supply planning functions across internal manufacturing and co-manufacturing sites, including production, materials, milk, and inventory planning.
- Oversee the development and execution of efficient, service-oriented production schedules.
- Drive alignment across demand planning, operations, logistics, finance, and customer service teams.
- Own and lead plant capacity and supply reviews; support S&OP and S&OE processes.
- Mentor and develop planning managers and supply planners; foster a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.
- Ensure planning strategies support inventory targets, cost efficiency, and customer service excellence.
- Manage end-to-end planning for co-manufacturing partners, ensuring production schedule attainment and deployment accuracy.
- Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives across tools, systems, and planning processes.
- Collaborate with operations to ensure plans align with production capabilities and operational strategy.
- Lead planning alignment meetings with transportation, warehousing, and customer service teams.
- Refine planning system configurations and support development of new planning tools and reporting.
- Serve as a backup for key planning functions and ensure cross-site planning synchronization.
- Demonstrate strategic thinking, proactive problem-solving, and effective leadership communication.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or a related field required.
- 5–7 years of relevant supply chain planning experience, with 3–5 years in a leadership or people management role.
- Proven experience leading planning teams across multiple manufacturing and/or co-manufacturing sites.
- Strong analytical skills and attention to detail; ability to interpret data and drive actionable insights.
- Skilled in Microsoft Office, especially Excel; experience with Access is a plus.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to influence and collaborate across all levels of the organization.
- Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, high-growth, and ambiguous environment.
- Experience with ERP systems (e.g., Dynamics 365), Anaplan, and planning tools strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of programming (e.g., SQL or Python) and data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI) is a strong plus.
- Network design or strategic supply chain planning experience preferred but not required.
- Willingness to travel up to 60% as needed to support planning operations across multiple sites.
Meet Your Recruiter
Alicia Alexander
Technical Recruiter & Team Mentor
Alicia Alexander is a Technical Recruiter and Team Mentor at Sterling Engineering with four years of recruiting experience and nearly three years with Sterling. She specializes in engineering, manufacturing, and technical recruiting, supporting roles across maintenance, reliability, operations, engineering, and industrial environments, including food and life sciences.
Alicia is passionate about helping people find careers where they feel genuinely happy, supported, and positioned for long-term growth. She enjoys building meaningful relationships with candidates, helping them take the next step in their careers, and supporting companies as they build strong, high-performing teams.
With a background in psychology and human resources from North Central College, Alicia brings a people-focused approach to recruiting. Her understanding of relationship building, communication, and candidate motivation helps her create successful matches between talent and opportunity.
Alicia is known for developing strong partnerships with both candidates and hiring managers, with a focus on creating long-term placements that benefit both the individual and the organization.