Inventory Planner / Buyer

Description Our most important asset is our people. Who we are, what we do, how we do it and why we are passionate are all centerpieces of why we succeed. We Are Proud To Be Recognized Among America’s Best Midsize Employers by Forbes in 2021, 2022 and 2024 As a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace for four consecutive years (2021-2025) We currently operate in-office Monday-Thursday, with an optional remote day on Friday. This role is not eligible for employment-based visa sponsorship. Role Summary As the Inventory Planner / Buyer, reporting to the Sr Manager, Global Sourcing & Procurement, you will be responsible for planning, purchasing, and inventory management activities that support product availability, customer service, and business profitability. This role manages material requirements for an assigned product portfolio, partners with suppliers and cross-functional teams, maintains accurate system data, and executes procurement activities that balance customer demand, service levels, and inventory investment. In This Role, You Will… Manage planning and purchasing activities for assigned products to support service-level, inventory, and return-on-investment objectives. Execute Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and translate demand requirements into timely purchasing and inventory actions. Create, issue, and manage purchase orders, including supplier acknowledgements, delivery-date follow-up, and order maintenance. Monitor inventory levels, supply requirements, and product availability; identify shortages, excess inventory, and potential service risks. Partner with established suppliers to achieve delivery, quality, cost, service, and inventory objectives. Track and expedite inbound shipments as needed, coordinating with suppliers and logistics partners to resolve delays and maintain material flow. Review and approve sales orders in NetSuite, and communicate backorders, delays, and supply constraints to Customer Service in a timely manner. Create and manage drop-ship purchase orders to support direct-to-customer fulfillment requirements. Create and maintain item, supplier, pricing, and purchasing data in NetSuite and Oracle Cloud to ensure accurate information flow. Review and implement supplier cost changes and negotiate product, freight, rework, and other costs as needed. Work with suppliers and Accounts Payable to investigate and resolve invoice, pricing, quantity, and receiving discrepancies. Provide direction and support to warehouse operations for approved product rework and inventory-related activities. Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Quality, Finance, Logistics, Customer Service, Sales, and warehouse teams to support new product launches, product transitions, and end-of-life activities. Monitor and support key performance indicators related to inventory, service levels, supplier delivery, purchase-order performance, and product availability. Identify and implement process improvements that strengthen planning accuracy, purchasing efficiency, system data integrity, and cross-functional communication. Develop and maintain working knowledge of NetSuite, Microsoft 365, and related business processes and reporting tools. Travel domestically as business needs require, generally less than 5%. Additional duties as assigned. What You Bring To The Team Minimum of two years of experience in planning, purchasing, inventory management, procurement, or supply chain operations. Working knowledge of MRP, inventory planning, purchasing, and purchase-order management processes. Experience using ERP systems such as NetSuite, Oracle EBS, Oracle Cloud, or a comparable platform. Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, particularly Excel, for data analysis, reporting, and day-to-day communication. Ability to analyze demand, inventory, supplier, and order information and convert findings into timely actions. Strong organizational, problem-solving, and prioritization skills, with the ability to manage diverse requests and projects …

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