Demand Planner

The Opportunity:

At Avantor, people are the most important part of our success because they drive our global performance. That’s why our Operations, Lab Services, Sales, and many other Avantor teams rely on our talent acquisition initiatives to attract, engage and hire the right talent. Avantor’s Sourcing vertical is a crucial part of this mix, enabling all our internal teams worldwide to grow beyond their limits.

The Demand Planner will be responsible for modeling demand, planning replenishment and managing inventories with an emphasis on ensuring service level goals are achieved at the lowest possible cost on all products within a specified area of responsibility. Work on building product level forecasts across VWR product offerings. Support Operations’ initiatives in the areas of inventory and financial analysis. Participate in business planning and tracking team performance relative to goals. Develop proactive reporting tools that enable informed sourcing and purchasing decisions. Collaborate with customers, Sales and/or suppliers to improve service level and fill rates to VWR and our customers, through the S&OP (Sales & Operation Planning process.

What we’re looking for:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Supply Chain Management, Commerce, or other applicable discipline or equivalent experience
  • APICS/CPIM certification preferred
• Experience: 2-3+ years procurement experience with enterprise level planning
  • Global Supply Chain experience a plus

Who you are:

• Knowledge of forecasting methods is highly desirable
• Formal problem-solving training desirable, i.e. Six Sigma
• Proficient in MS office suite (Excel, Access, Word).
• Demonstrated ability to analyze large data sets; Strong system aptitude required
• Solid written and verbal communication skills, experience in a matrix environment desirable
• Strong analytical skills
• Solid knowledge and practical use of forecasting and inventory planning tools; i.e. SAP, QlikView or equivalent

How you will thrive and create an impact:

• Critical Material Planners work to manage the 'end to end' Supply Chain to support our top customers with their dedicated inventory: Collaborating with Customer and Sales, Implementing the Planning and Procurement strategies, monitoring the ongoing movement of material, and ultimate Inventory management.
• Identify and correct Supply Chain constraints by acting as liaison between Sales, Customer Service and suppliers.
• Support Sales and Operations Planning process efforts.
• Apply analytical and statistical techniques to develop a tactical demand forecast and replenishment plan supporting key product lines and/or specific customer requirements
• Determine optimal inventory position for each SKU/stocking location. Maximize VWRs investment in inventory. Analyze data and make recommendations on increasing/decreasing inventory targets; establish ideal safety stock targets. Collaborate with Sales and/or customer for support of recommendations.
• Participate in inventory planning activities including, but not limited to, ownership and maintenance of supply planning models and/or ERP planning system
• Prepare purchasing and inventory forecasts and financial projections. Analyze variances between actual and budgeted/forecasted activity.
• Partner with inventory management team to reduce inventory write-off
• Proactively adjust forecast and replenishment strategies to optimize inventory investment.
• Commit company resources to support stocking request, new launches and initiatives.
• Negotiate changes with suppliers as needed
• Establish, maintain, report and analyze trends for Key Performance Indicators for forecast accuracy, demand variability, inventory, and backorder. 
• Develop an understanding of product family life cycles and perform trending analysis to determine proper inventory levels.
• Drive process standardization.
• Monitor inventory data integrity (e.g., receiving/inspection, cycle count accuracy).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor?

Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.
 
The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.
 
We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!

Pay Transparency:

The expected pre-tax pay for this position is

Actual pay may differ depending on relevant factors such as prior experience and geographic location.

EEO Statement:

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at recruiting@avantorsciences.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

For more information about equal employment opportunity protections, please view the Know Your Rights poster.

3rd Party Non-Solicitation Policy:

By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.

Avantor offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness programs, health savings and flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) plan with company match, and an employee stock purchase program. Employees also receive 11 paid holidays, accrue 18 PTO days annually, are eligible for volunteer time off and 6 weeks of 100% paid parental leave (except in states that offer paid family leave). These benefits may not apply to employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement or those subject to other eligibility rules.