NEXTEP Technology Solutions is seeking an SAP-Integrated Business Planning (IBP) person in St. Louis, Missouri.



Position Summary:

Manages and maintains the key inputs to the supply planning module of SAP-Integrated Business Planning (IBP) in order to provide a master schedule or procurement plan for internal or external product suppliers.  Duties may include supply planning, inventory management, distribution, display co-packing scheduling, and/or some combination of these duties.  Top Planning metrics include customer fill rate and days in inventory (DII).

Accountabilities:

• Drive internal collaboration between internal/external suppliers, customer supply chain, procurement, accounting/finance, marketing, and sales in order to deliver internal delivery and working capital goals. Lead and/or participate on assigned project teams to achieve common goals.

Specific Accountabilities:

• Manages and maintains the supply planning module of SAP-IBP for an assigned set of products.  Independently analyzes data and makes decisions to schedule product requirements at display co-packer, develop and maintain sourcing records, safety stock values, manufacturing lot sizes, and various planning parameters. 


• Ensures effective product launch or transition management through close coordination with customer account teams, brand marketing, and the producing plant location. Interacts with Demand Planning colleagues to align on timing and type-level data.   Manages the data to support the product requirements in SAP-IBP, SAP-GEMS, and SAP-PRIME.


• Achieve strong level of customer satisfaction through meeting internal fill rate goals.


• Understands internal and external producing location capabilities and anticipates the need for additional packaging or manufacturing resources based off of product cycle plans, promotional plans, and customer demand shifts.  Monitors daily, weekly, and monthly demand to understand customer needs vs. producing locations capacity.  Makes proactive recommendations to insure continuity of supply.


• Manages and project finished goods and unpacked battery inventory dollars and inventory turns to meet management specified goals.   Works closely with customer service and demand planning on product transitions to move slow-moving or obsolete items.  Provides warehouse disposition for over age product.   Provides direction to plants or co-packers for reworking returned product or slow-moving products.


• May lead monthly Sales and Operations Planning meetings for a specific business unit.


• May lead or implement business process changes related to planning or distribution of finished goods.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Undergraduate degree required (Forecasting, Supply Planning, Supply Chain, or Business preferred)


• 4-6 years of demand planning, supply chain, and/or operations experience


• Demonstrated analytical skills


• Strong written and verbal communication skills


• Must be self-motivated and highly adaptable to change


• Excel Power User, Access, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook


• Must have a working knowledge of supply and demand planning concepts as well as Sales and Operations Planning.


• SAP-IBP or other planning software experience preferred.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Critical Thinking – Ability to explore & evaluate broad potential solution sets and provide objective data-driven recommendations


• Analytical Curiosity – Comfortable with and enjoys working in very detailed, data intense environment; logical, creative, puzzle-solving mentality


• Collaboration – Ability to identify stakeholders and create win-win situations with other functions; ability to work well with diverse, cross-functional stakeholders and team members


• Influence – Develop credibility and ability to sell recommendations at all levels of the organization; deliver objective, data-driven solutions with appropriate business perspective communicated in a concise and understandable fashion

Working Relationships & Environment:

• Will report directly to Manager, Associate Manager, or Sr. Supply Chain Analyst


• Will work in the North American Planning area


• Will closely partner with North America Sales, North America Customer Supply Chain, Internal/External Suppliers, and other internal cross-functional departments

Work Environment:

• Willing to travel domestically – less than 5% in total