Inventory & Data Analyst - Manufacturing

The Inventory and Data Analyst is responsible for managing the accuracy, reporting, and reconciliation of all plant inventory and production data. This role is critical in ensuring the integrity of our ERP system (SAGE), tracking co-packing production activities, and providing timely analytics to drive operational excellence. The Analyst  will serve as a key liaison between Production, Receiving, Scheduling, Warehousing, Procurement, and Accounting to ensure data integrity and timely reporting.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Manage day-to-day material transactions within SAGE ERP for all raw, WIP, and finished goods

- Ensure all production entries are accurate, complete, and posted within 24 hours

- Validate batch yields and finished good output against planned production runs

- Perform routine audits on production paperwork vs. system entries and resolve discrepancies

- Maintain master data settings for materials and finished goods within the ERP system

- Partner with IT and Accounting to support ERP upgrades and inventory module enhancements

- Provide clerical support for management team.

- Lead month-end inventory processes for all departments including warehouse, production, and QA-controlled materials (i.e. swabs, supplies, test kits, etc.).

- Coordinate weekly cycle counts and spot audits; reconcile and document variances

- Maintain par levels and reorder thresholds based on historical usage and forecasted needs (safety stocks on all raw materials- SAGE)

- Identify slow-moving and obsolete inventory and facilitate appropriate disposition

- Oversee all inventory movements, including interdepartmental transfers and BOM consumption

- Work closely with inventory management at Erlanger to reconcile their inventory on a weekly or monthly basis. 

- Act as the single point of contact for all co-packing inventory and data tracking needs

- Monitor finished goods inventory levels by customer using SAGE to ensure visibility of production output and transfers to the external warehouse.

- Prepare customer-specific reconciliation reports and host monthly review calls

- Manage contract pack-out documentation and production accountability by lot

- Flag and report any over/under usage trends or co-packing efficiency concerns

- Develop real-time dashboards for inventory levels, production status, material shrink, and customer balances

- Deliver daily, weekly, and monthly production and inventory performance reports

- Build predictive tools in Excel to support material planning and variance analysis – or in SAGE

- Analyze downtime, loss reports, and raw material trends to support continuous improvement

- Support operations leadership with custom data requests and ad hoc reports

- Collaborate with Receiving to ensure accurate PO receipts and lot tracking

- Partner with QA to ensure accurate material release dates and status changes in the system

- Work with QA to reduce out of code raw materials and help track while using FEFO/FIFO principles

- Assist Scheduling with inventory availability snapshots and material readiness reports

- Work with Shipping to validate inventory allocations, finished goods readiness, and outbound load accuracy

- Actively participate in SQF, FDA, customer, and internal audits, providing supporting documentation and traceability reports

- Document SOPs and training guides for all tasks related to inventory and data workflows

- Maintain compliance with company inventory control policies and procedures

- Train and support other departments in proper inventory handling and ERP usage

- Conduct quarterly review of BOM accuracy and participate in standard cost reviews with Accounting

- Create CAPA action plans for recurring inventory or data integrity issues

- Support capital project analysis with data modeling and material flow mapping

- Conduct year-end physical inventory coordination, preparation, and system closure

-  Inventory Accuracy ≥ 98%

- Cycle Count Completion: 100% on schedule

- Report Timeliness: Daily by 9:00 AM

- Discrepancy Resolution ≤ 48 hours

- Material Variance ≤ 1%

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

Education and Experience: 

- High School diploma or GED equivalent

·         - Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Business Analytics, or related field preferred

·         - 3 years of experience in a manufacturing or food production environment preferred

·         - 3-5 years’ experience in an Analyst role preferably in a food production environment

Competencies & Capabilities: 

• Fundamental understanding of key manufacturing, ingredient and supply chain KPIs / metrics
• An aptitude for effectively translating data findings to tell a story that can be easily understood by all kinds of personnel in various areas of the business. 
• Have strong statistical, analytical, and manufacturing business acumen and a passion around utilizing analytics to solve business problems.  
• Possess deep knowledge and understanding of our data sets and domain
• Self-starter, strong drive, highly motivated to make change and bring about fact driven decisions.
• Strong analytical skills.  Ability to derive insights from data and recommend actions to the business
• Ability to operate in a complex, rapidly changing environment while adhering to tight schedules and multiple priorities.
• Demonstrated project management skills and proven ability to balance multiple projects in varying degrees of implementation.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving and attention to detail skills are required.

• Must be well-organized and able to coordinate multiple tasks and requests. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and possess the ability to present information to external and internal groups
• Experience supporting SQF, FDA, or USDA compliance preferred 

Computer/Technical:

·         Proficient in MS Word, Excel, Power Point, MS BI

·         Expert-level Excel skills (pivot tables, complex formulas, dashboards, macros)

·         Advanced understanding of SAGE ERP or similar systems

Proficient in leveraging AI to improve analytical models, methodologies and outputs

Work Environment:

·         Office-based with frequent floor presence and interaction with warehouse and production teams.

·         Will need to travel to Erlanger, KY when needed as well, at least monthly

·         Must be able to perform physical inventory counts and work in freezer/cooler environments as needed

·         Occasional evening/weekend hours required during month-end or audit prep