Inventory Strategy Lead

Are you hungry for a fast-paced, purchasing negotiator, and team-oriented food buyer position? Would your negotiating skills give politicians a run for their money? Have you ever been commended for your culinary ingenuity? We are a company that love innovation and question status quo. And Yes! we like to have fun too!

At National Food Group, we’re proud of our fun, collaborative, and progressive culture. We’re always looking for ways to innovate corporate life to be more fun and convenient for our team members, especially in these unprecedented times. With our work from home options, we’ve become Zoom champions and instant messaging wizards – we put a high value on communication from professional video calls to virtual team social hours. When in the office, team members can enjoy our hot and cold beverage machines, a clubhouse and other fun meeting spaces, and – when it’s safe again – an in-house gym, and an Innovation Center where all our cooking magic happens! Our team has a good balance of work and play – who ever said corporate life couldn’t be fun?

If this position sounds appetizing to you, read on!

Your Essential Duties

• Oversee the replenishment of 700 SKUs across 15 third-party distribution centers ensuring existing flow of inventory on hand, incoming, and outgoing is in alignment with sales, seasonality, and organizational objectives.
• Step in as needed as lead replenishment planner for a product line or distribution center.
• Work hand in hand with purchasing and sales on program launches from a replenishment and inventory perspective.
• Monitor and analyze the performance of made to order and private labeled items. Based on this analysis, develop, and implement strategies to enhance sales, profit margins, or discontinue products.
• Utilize available reporting tools to ensure that over 600 limited time offer SKUs maintain a suitable sales velocity to maximize sales while minimizing the need for product write downs and donations.
• Collaborate with IT to create innovative analytical tools for reviewing both current and incoming inventory metrics.
• Observe and assess performance of exclusive product contracts to identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations to Sales and Purchasing leadership to enhance financial and product performance.
• Engage in collaborative efforts with the finance department to establish inventory budgets for different product categories and locations that align within organizational goals.
• Monitor and analyze inventory locations to ensure on hand inventory is in line with company benchmarks.
• Consistently track products reserved for customer programs have an appropriate sales velocity.
• Facilitate open dialogue with the sales and purchasing teams regarding categories that are over budget or under budget. This approach aims to accelerate sales and explore opportunities to source additional product.
• Take a proactive approach in reviewing incoming items and facilitate visibility for the sales and marketing team.
• Proactively identity and communicate trends in inventory sales to stay ahead of both organizational and market trends.
• Conduct analysis of domestic commodity markets and sales order data to ensure existing inventory on hand aligns with market costs and cost of goods sold trends.
• Engage in collaborative efforts with inventory operations, logistics, and sales teams to effectively address customer return issue and determine the appropriate location for their resolution.
• Using a range of sales, purchasing, and inventory tools, provide financial recommendations regarding options such as writing down items, designing and offering sales incentives, or donating products.
  
  

Your Education

• Bachelor’s degree Supply Chain and Procurement preferred.
  
  

You Must Have

• Experience in replenishment across an array of different commodities for multiple distribution centers
• Proven history of conducting day to day objectives to meet organizational goals
• Experience building cross department system and process infrastructure to achieve organization goals
• Intermediate comprehension of accounting principles
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (formatting, advanced formulas, pivot tables, vlook up, etc.)
• Experience in mentoring and guiding individuals or teams
• Advanced understanding of logistics and distribution center operations and price models
• Outstanding analysis, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Excellent listening, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to be agile and thrive in a fast-paced environment
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Proven history of proactively recognizing supply chain or financial disruptions and solution implementation
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Advanced financial understanding throughout all steps of the supply chain (order to cash process?)
• Experience working with replenishment or supply chain software preferred
• Experience building financial models consisting of historical, present, and future data
  
  

You’re Good At

• Being self-motivated.
• Comfortable building and leading an emerging team.
• Participating in a work culture that facilitates teamwork, team spirit.
• Managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced working environment.
• Ability to build relationships and develop rapport.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to multitask.
• Adjusting to a rapidly changing environment.
  
  

Benefits

We love when our team members are happy and healthy! At National Food Group, you'll have the following benefits and perks:

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision care insurance
• Group life & voluntary life insurance
• 401(k) savings plan
• Flexible savings plan
• Short-term & long-term disability
• PTO & PTO buy up
• Tuition reimbursement
• Wellness reimbursement
  
  

Our Office Work Environment

Works in a temperature-controlled office environment.

This job requires the ability to perform duties contained in the job description for this position, including, but not limited to, the above requirements. Reasonable accommodations will be made to fulfill these requirements.

The above statements generally describe the principal and essential functions of the job but should not be construed as a detailed description of all essential functions that may be inherent in the job.

Equal Employment Opportunity

National Food Group is an equal opportunity employer.

• Please also list your salary requirements in your application.