Central Planner

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose.

At Lactalis in the USA, we're committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive-whether you're just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we're proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani Italian cheeses and ricotta, President specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone's cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond cheddar, and Parmalat milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi's, Stonyfield Organic, Brown Cow, Oui, Yoplait, Go-Gurt, :ratio, Green Mountain Creamery, and Mountain High, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun, Gopi, and Arz.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values-Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone's unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don't meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

Lactalis American Group, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Central Planner based in Buffalo, NY.

As a Central Planner, you will be responsible for the short & mid-term capacity, inventory levels and transportation requirements of assigned product line(s) or replenishment management with the objective of maintaining established finished goods level, meeting customer service goals and efficiently utilizing manufacturing resources.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Analyze and prepare reports on plant capacity utilization by product lines.
• Understand KPI (Key Performance Indicators) related to the position, the planning department, and cross functional impacts for best decision for the company.
• Conduct inventory simulations to determine optimal safety stock and inventory levels based on demand and shelf-life constraints.
• Analyze risks of dumps and downgrades and act with CS to minimize or mitigate negative impact.
• Identify problematic SKUs (efficiency, waste risk, volume, labor, etc.) for discontinuation/rationalization.
• Provide finished goods requirements to plant schedulers, monitor production schedules and initiate corrective actions.
• Plan and enter interplant shipment orders for assigned products and/or DCs within inventory standards and lead times.
• Communicate logistics requirements for interplant movement to ensure equipment availability.
• Collaborate with Customer Service and Transportation Planners on inventory plan changes impacting delivery commitments.
• Regularly communicate with Demand Planners to identify FC challenges and production bottlenecks.
• Analyze and manage aging reports and 8-day-to-expire reports to mitigate waste risk.
• Utilize FuturMaster for proper inventory planning.
• Provide meeting recaps and enforce accountability for action items.
• Facilitate monthly/weekly meetings with strategic cross-functional teams (internal & co-packers).
• Coordinate with distribution centers and sales to minimize product loss due to aging.
• Coordinate meetings with Manufacturing to ensure transparency and production efficiencies.
• Prepare and distribute reports on activity and performance metrics.
• Cross-train with other Central Planners and provide backup support during absences.
• Work directly with Supply Planning Manager on projects and process improvements.
• Visit manufacturing sites to understand processes and build relationships.
• Provide training to new or associate supply planners.

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

Education

• Associate degree or higher preferred; ideally a bachelor's degree or combination of education and industry experience.

Experience

• 1+ years planning experience preferred or combination of transferrable education and experience.
• Experience in food industry, supply chain, or financial analysis preferred.

Certifications and specific knowledge

• Ability to learn and use FuturMaster, Stratum, and AS/400.
• APICS or CPIM certification or similar knowledge is beneficial.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite, especially Excel and Word.
• Strong communication skills (oral & electronic) for cross-functional collaboration.

At Lactalis, we offer a comprehensive Total Rewards Program with a variety of affordable benefits and coverage options. We support insurance costs significantly, contribute generously to retirement plans, and offer Paid Time Off from day one. We are committed to your professional growth, providing training and development opportunities, including Education Reimbursement. Join us and grow your career.

Lactalis is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.

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