COMPANY OVERVIEW

At Universal Nutrition, our people are the heart of everything we do—from groundbreaking research to innovative product development, marketing, sales, operations, and distribution. We are a team driven by a shared mission. We harness science, technology, and human ingenuity to fuel both body and mind, empowering people to pursue their passions every day.

We started as a family business, and no matter how much we grow, that entrepreneurial spirit remains. Some of us have been here for decades and some have just started, but everyone belongs. Open communication and mutual respect define us. At Universal Nutrition, we are driven to push boundaries as a team and make a lasting difference.

JOB OVERVIEW

The Demand & Supply Planning Associate Manager owns the integrated planning process across Demand Planning, Master Production Planning, and External Manufacturing Planning. This role ensures alignment between market demand, production capacity, and external supplier execution to deliver high service levels while maintaining healthy inventory and operational stability.

This position is responsible for translating commercial demand signals into executable supply plans across internal manufacturing and external partners. The role drives planning discipline, system integrity, and cross‑functional decision‑making through the IBP/S&OP process and weekly S&OE forums.

The Planning Lead acts as the central orchestrator of the planning system, partnering closely with Sales, Marketing, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Finance to balance service, inventory, and capacity across the network.

This role operates in a lean organization where planners are expected to drive decisions—not only manage data—and where strong analytical thinking, ownership, and proactive risk management are critical to success.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Demand Planning & S&OP (Primary)

• Develop and maintain statistical and consensus demand forecasts at the SKU/location level.
• Lead the monthly demand review process with Sales, Marketing, and Finance.
• Analyze forecast accuracy, bias, and demand volatility drivers.
• Incorporate market intelligence, promotions, launches, and discontinuations into the forecast.
• Own the end-to-end monthly S&OP / IBP cycle:
  • Product Review
  • Demand Review
  • Supply Review (facilitated with Planning)
  • Pre‑IBP / Integrated Reconciliation (Financials)
  • Executive IBP
• Ensure one-number alignment across Commercial, Supply Chain, and Finance.
• Quantify demand‑supply gaps and drive scenario evaluation.
• Lead the weekly Sales & Operations Execution (S&OE) / Control Tower forum.
• Monitor in‑month performance versus the demand plan and supply commitments.
• Track weekly sales performance against forecast at SKU and channel levels.
• Highlight material variances and drive proactive decision‑making.

Success looks like:
A stable and unbiased demand signal, proactive decisions ahead of execution, and minimal last‑minute escalations.

Supply Planning (Primary)

Master Production Planning (MPP/MPS)

• Own the site master production plan across the open planning horizon.
• Balance demand, capacity, and inventory to deliver required service levels.
• Establish and maintain planning parameters (safety stock, min/max, lot sizing, planning fences).
• Run and interpret MRP outputs; drive exception management.
• Identify structural constraints and escalate capacity gaps early.
• Lead rough‑cut capacity planning (RCCP) and scenario modeling.
• Support IBP/S&OP with supply scenarios and risk assessments.
• Drive planning stability and schedule adherence.

Success looks like:
A stable production plan, controlled inventory, predictable execution, and high customer service levels.

External Manufacturing Planning

• Own supply planning for all external manufacturing and co‑packing partners.
• Develop and maintain rolling supply plans aligned to demand and inventory policies.
• Translate demand signals into firm production and material requirements.
• Monitor supplier capacity, constraints, and schedule adherence.
• Drive proactive risk identification and mitigation (capacity, materials, lead-time variability).
• Manage FG and component inventory targets at external locations.
• Lead weekly/monthly supply reviews with key external partners.
• Ensure accurate ERP/MRP execution for external production orders and receipts.

Success looks like:
No surprises, no expedites, and no last‑minute firefighting.

Cross‑Functional Leadership

• Partner with Demand Planning to ensure forecast alignment and bias management.
• Collaborate with Procurement to secure material availability aligned to the supply plan.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, and Logistics to ensure executable plans.
• Support Finance with inventory projections and working capital visibility.
• Participate in IBP/S&OP governance and decision forums.

 Continuous Improvement

• Drive planning maturity roadmap (process, tools, behaviors).
• Standardize planning policies across SKUs and manufacturing nodes.
• Improve key planning KPIs:
  • Service level / OTIF
  • Inventory turns
  • External supplier & internal schedule adherence
  • Plan stability
  • Forecast consumption vs. plan adherence
• Lead root-cause analysis of shortages, excess, and plan volatility.
• Support digital and system enhancements (ERP, APS, Power BI).

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in supply chain, Industrial Engineering, Operations, or related field.
• 5 years of experience in demand planning, supply planning, or master planning (consumer goods/retail preferred).
• Strong ERP/MRP experience (SAP, Oracle, Deacom, or equivalent).
• Proven experience managing external manufacturers or co‑packers.
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills.

OFFERINGS

• Salary range: $100,000–$130,000 (based on experience & qualifications).
• Eligible for short‑term incentive bonus.
• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance (cost shared).
• 401(k) with 5% employer match.
• Employer‑sponsored Life, Basic AD&D, STD, LTD; optional buy‑up plans available.
• Competitive paid time off and paid sick leave.
• Employee Resource Center & Telehealth services.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Universal Nutrition is committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. We cultivate an environment where everyone feels included and respected. All employment decisions—including hiring, compensation, training, performance evaluation, and termination—are made fairly and based solely on merit.