Director, Supply Planning - Mfg U.S.

At Ferrara, Ferrero, Fox’s Burton’s, and The Fine Biscuits Company, we’re loved by people of all generations for the joy we bring—and that joy is crafted by our people. Join us and explore a whole world to discover, where your passion will find its place. Today, Ferrara is the #1 sugar confectioner in the U.S, with global sales in more than 40 countries. Ferrara boasts a passionate team of over 9,000 employees around the world who deliver and create hundreds of iconic and beloved products. In the U.S., more than 67 million households annually enjoy our popular brands like NERDS®, Brach’s®, Jelly Belly®, SweeTARTS®, Laffy Taffy®, and Trolli®. In Brazil, Dori has become a household name with snacking products that include brands such as Dori, Gomets, Pettiz, and Yogurte 100. And, in France, Carambar & Co have earned generations of loyal customers through the timeless appeal of iconic candy and chocolate brands such as Carambar, Lutti, Krema, Poulain, Vichy and Terry’s. A privately held company, Ferrara Group is headquartered in Chicago. Ferrara boasts a network of over 30 locations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia Pacific that includes manufacturing, distribution, sales, and R&D facilities. Learn more at www.ferrara.com or www.linkedin.com/company/ferrara-/ Director, Supply Planning - Mfg U.S. Work Location: Chicago Due to the highly interactive and team-based nature of this role, in-person attendance for most of the workweek (i.e., 3 days or more) is essential for: effective communication including during in-person meetings, strong supervision, real-time problem-solving, and participation in cross-functional initiatives. Want to make an impact? The Director, Supply Planning sets strategic direction and leads execution across supply planning and short- and medium-term network capacity planning for Ferrara’s manufacturing network. This role optimizes inventory, service levels, sourcing, and capacity across internal manufacturing and co-manufacturing/co-packing operations. As a key leader in Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), the Director drives cross-functional decisions that improve agility, cost efficiency, and customer service. Ways you will make a difference Lead end-to-end supply planning across internal plants and external manufacturing partners, including short- and mid-range plans, seasonal pre-builds, product launches, transitions, and discontinuations. Lead short- and medium-term network capacity planning, maintain plant calendars, conduct manufacturing site reviews, and identify constraints and investment needs. Develop sourcing strategies for current and new items by evaluating plant capabilities, network fit, capacity, cost, and service implications. Represent supply planning and network capacity in IBP/S&OP forums; facilitate trade-off decisions involving constrained supply, service risk, inventory, and capacity allocation. Establish inventory policies for semi-finished and finished goods, including safety stock, economic order quantities, replenishment strategies, and weeks-of-supply targets. Drive improvements in customer service, inventory turns, planned order adherence, plant attainment, and inventory obsolescence. Lead root-cause analysis and service recovery for supply disruptions, including preventative action plans and forward-looking risk assessments. Partner with Plant Operations, Material Planning, Commercial, Innovation, and Finance leaders to align supply and capacity plans with business priorities. Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing supply planning team; establish clear goals and build capability to support business growth. Skills that will make you successful Strategic planning Supply and capacity planning Inventory optimization Manufacturing sourcing IBP/S&OP leadership Financial acumen Executive communication Cross-functional influence Risk management Continuous improveme…

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