Senior Material Planner

At Russell Stover, not only do we love chocolate, but we love our jobs! Every day we go to work exhibiting our values of excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, responsibility, and collaboration. Working at Russell Stover you’ll be part of the leading manufacturer of boxed, seasonal, and sugar-free chocolates. For over 100 years, Russell Stover Chocolates, Whitman’s, and Pangburn’s have been crafted with the finest ingredients to bring happiness to generations. Today, we produce over 55 million pounds of chocolate annually, and our legacy brands can be found in 13 company-owned stores and over 9,000 wholesale accounts. Join our team and let’s continue making chocolate lovers happy!

A day in the life…

As the Senior Materials Planner, you will be responsible for planning procurement of packaging/raw materials. You will work with MRP and production schedules to determine the supply requirements needed to support our manufacturing locations. You will also, coordinate shipments with vendors by placing purchase order releases into our system, sending to the vendor and following up until received. This position will also get involved in resolving invoice and quality discrepancies that may arise and coordinate shipments of products from co-pack suppliers into our Distribution Centers by analyzing supply and demand reports and placing orders as needed.

You will partner cross functionally with production planning, marketing, engineering, etc. where applicable and communicate with all levels of management.

What you will be doing…

• Analyze MRP and production schedules to determine purchase requirements.
• Serve as front line planner/buyer with suppliers for specific commodities, working directly with vendors to coordinate shipments to meet the company’s production demands.
• Execute purchase requisitions and purchase orders for products and services as needed to support planning, manufacturing, while maintaining appropriate inventory levels.
• Coordinate the resolution of invoice discrepancies when needed.
• Expedite and communicate back order and delivery status within supply chain.
• Cultivate and implement best practices with vendors.
• Assist with new projects and development of specifications.
• Review production samples for quality and conformance to specifications.
• Mentor Planners and serve as escalation/resource for complex issues
• Identify gaps, standardize process and drive continuous improvement
• Lead planning portions of launches, conversions, runouts and other major projects
• If visiting our manufacturing plants, you will be expected to:
• Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to ensure product quality and maintain compliance with food safety standards.
• Complete and follow FSQA training and programs to comply with regulatory requirements, ensure consumer safety, and support the plant’s food safety and quality objectives.
• Promptly report and take appropriate action on any observed or potential food safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities by notifying the designated plant supervisor, in accordance with your role and responsibilities.
• Actively contributes to the continuous improvement of the company’s Food Safety Culture through engagement and actions aligned with your role.
• This job posting is not all inclusive and other duties may be assigned.
• Do you have what it takes?

(Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• 2+ years experience in purchasing/supply chain
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously and re-prioritize as needed
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Experience leveraging computer desktop applications (Excel, PowerPoint) skills

Experience with MPR/ERP systems

Excellent communication skills and the ability to speak, read, and write English fluently, with or without an accommodation.

Do you stand above the rest?

(Preferred Qualifications)

Manufacturing experience

Experience with SAP/IBP

At Russell Stover Chocolates, we don’t just accept difference — we celebrate it, we support it, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our products, and our community. Russell Stover Chocolates is proud to be an equal-opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, protected medical condition, genetic information, military service, veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by law.

Employment by Russell Stover Chocolates is contingent upon I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification, passing the urinalysis drug screen, education verification, and satisfactory reference and background checks.

Make Happy. Work Happy.