What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Demand & Supply Planner position at Rauch & Associates?
Senior Supply Chain Planner, SI&OP — Build the Planning Engine, Don't Just Run It
The Opportunity
Most planning jobs are autopilot. This one is a build.
Our client — the North American arm of a global industrial components group serving heavy-industry manufacturers — is moving from a reactive, manual planning environment to a proactive, well-structured one. They're activating MRP in a tier-one ERP, standing up a real Sales & Operations Planning (SI&OP) cadence, and they need a senior planner to own that transformation end to end.
If you're a high-performer who's bored maintaining someone else's system and wants to design, implement, and drive the process yourself, this is your seat.
What You'll Own
- The material planning brain of a finished-goods distribution operation: right parts, right place, right time, at the lowest sensible inventory
- MRP activation and tuning — shaping parameters, safety stock, and reorder logic, not just maintaining defaults
- SI&OP from the ground up — building the forecasting engine and driving a monthly cadence with sales
- Long lead-time global sourcing — planning overseas inbound supply against limited forecast signal, and bringing the controllable variables under control
- Process design — diagnosing gaps, recommending fixes, getting the green light, and implementing
What You Bring
- 7 years in materials, supply, or demand planning, with genuine SI&OP / S&OP ownership (not just participation)
- A track record of standing up or maturing a planning process — MRP activation, parameter discipline, safety stock / reorder point / ABC optimization
- ERP fluency with MRP (SAP, Oracle, Infor, or comparable)
- Experience managing long-lead global inbound supply
- Manufacturing or production-planning literacy — the factories and the customers are manufacturers, and you can speak their language
- APICS / ASCM credential (CPIM or CSCP) a strong plus
- A collaborative, team-first working style: you listen, flex, and pitch in on a small, diverse team that covers for each other
Why This Role
- A real build challenge — the opposite of an autopilot job
- Work-life balance treated as sacred
- Leadership that listens — regular town halls and an open-door culture
- A growing, global organization with a strong North American footprint and recent industry accolades
- Location — the O'Hare corridor, the heart of one of the strongest supply chain talent markets in the country
Details
- On-site role in the northwest Chicago suburbs
- Individual contributor position — influence through process and partnership, not headcount
- Competitive six-figure compensation
Ready to build something? Apply now or reach out to the Rauch recruiting team for a confidential conversation. Company details shared with qualified candidates.
Our client is an equal opportunity employer.