Inventory & Materials Planner - 8th Ave Food & Provisions

8th Avenue Food & Provisions is a growing organization made up of businesses that produce and sell quality products including pasta, peanut butter, granola, and fruit and nut trail mixes to retail, foodservice and ingredient customers. The company was formed in October 2018 through a combination of Post Holdings’ private brands businesses and is owned by Post Holdings and funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. (“THL”), a private equity firm.

Position Summary:

The Materials Coordinator owns timely and accurate release of all ingredients and/or packaging inventory to support the facility production plan. The Materials Coordinator will be responsible for utilizing JDE ERP system, company processes, and procedures to maintain efficient and accurate inventories to support production needs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Maintain and manage key purchasing and supply chain data within JDE environment to improve daily operations.
• Partner with inventory and warehouse functions during cycle count process to ensure inventory accuracy.
• Maintains files and documents storage for Materials Accounting as required by SOX and our customers for product traceability.
• Monitor inventory levels; analyze data, identify performance gaps or opportunities for improvement; plan and execute adjustments to improve efficiency of inventory movement.
• Utilizes order forms, inventory item lists, and price lists to place purchase orders; retains historical records of transactions.
• Identifies and resolves purchase order and invoice discrepancies working in collaboration with accounts payable, suppliers and stakeholders to ensure timely goods receipt and payment.
• Aids department leaders and Procurement function in the development and analysis of inventory costs and usage history, to determine which items must be included in plant safety stock inventory.
• The candidate will work with suppliers to ensure future material supply and improve existing operations.
• They will also analyze data and prepare reports for the Purchasing Department
• Reviews purchase requisitions and evaluation or conversion to purchase orders.
• Expedites Purchase orders to ensure delivery to meet the needs of the business.
• Assist in documenting and reporting root causes related to supplier fulfillment issues.
• Monitor inventory level of materials.
• Analyze root causes of back orders.
• Research and analyze cost variances.
• Calculate key inventory performance metrics.
• Participate in Purchase Order creation, placement, and confirmation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of supply chain concepts
• Works closely with production planner/scheduler to ensure adequate inventory is available at time of production.
• Other duties, as assigned by management.

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelors’ Degree in related field (or combination of lesser degree and equivalent experience)
• 2+ years of experience in purchasing and/or sourcing.
• Expertise in utilizing Excel.
• Must be available and willing to work flexible on-demand schedule (weekends, holidays, and overtime, as needed).
• Proficiency in procurement and material requirements planning (MRP) systems within a manufacturing environment.
• Ability to understand Bill of Materials (BOM) as well as to navigate engineering drawings.

Preferred Education, Experience, and Skills:

• Experience with advanced Microsoft Excel functions (formula development, pivot tables, VLOOKUP, conditional formatting, and text-to-column functionality).
• 2-years work experience in inventory control (or related field).
• Intermediate proficiency in JD Edwards software.
• Ability to work independently as well as with others in a team environment.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, prioritization, attention to detail, & the ability to work on multiple critical projects.
• Effective written, verbal, & interpersonal communication and negotiation skills.

Physical Requirements:

Qualified candidates must be able to perform the following physical job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Must be able to lift up to 34 pounds for 3+ hours per shift.
• Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds 3+ hours per shift.
• Must be able to sit for 7+ hours per shift.
• Must be able to reach, grasp, and use fine motor skills for 6+ hours per shift.
• Must be able to push and pull for 1+ hours per shift.
• Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of written or spoken word