Manager, Inventory Planning - North Chicago, IL

About the role

The Inventory Planning Manager owns the coordination of the master production plan within the manufacturing site and all associated follow‑on activities. They drive proper production scheduling adherence to ensure an optimized plan that supports efficiency and predictability, enhance site capability through optimizing planning parameters to drive efficiencies while supporting inventory targets across the key supply chain, and serve as the main point of contact for all supply‑chain partners while acting as a key site champion in driving the monthly Sales and Operations planning process and supporting AbbVie’s financial and strategic goals.

Responsibilities

• Manage the coordination/execution with the manufacturing department of the full window of firmed orders of the production schedule, supporting schedule execution and timely finished goods delivery.
• Oversee the site's work order coordinators/specialists supporting the production plan, providing guidance, coaching, and proper strategic direction.
• Handle unplanned orders and provide delivery commitments by checking material availability and maintaining constant communication with Corporate Planning or directly with customers.
• Communicate schedule changes or risks proactively with stakeholders and engage decision makers to enable the right production decisions.
• Lead the overall daily schedule review process focused on monitoring performance and following through on resulting actions with material management and cross‑functional partners.
• Prepare the weekly/monthly production plan, incorporating dynamic factors such as known and projected demands, trends, manufacturing and finishing lead times, raw material and finishing supply lead times, inventory investment, and predetermined target levels.
• Manage the weekly MPS lock discussion meeting between cross‑functional plant groups to ensure the best finite schedule set is attainable by all parties.
• Drive the schedule reporting process to analyze Actuals vs. Plan/LBE, provide accurate and timely volume estimates for site financial reporting, and work with key stakeholders to understand drivers for variances.
• Maintain the effectiveness of the INFOR planning system for the material management department.
• Set strategic direction for new NPI focused on process, right first time, and schedule adherence; support the introduction of new products to the site.

Qualifications

Minimum education: Bachelor’s degree. Preferred: Bachelor’s in Business Administration, Sciences, or Engineering; MBA desirable. Required: five (5) years of experience in Materials Management with hands‑on experience in Master Production Scheduling, Inventory Control, Production Activity Control, and Materials Requirement Planning. Must have experience with computerized inventory control systems and hands‑on proficiency in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc. Requires strong human‑relations skills to interact with all levels of management and external agencies, excellent problem‑solving and decision‑making abilities, excellent analytical/statistical skills (able to interpret and provide broader context to converging information), and a broad business perspective (able to advise on financial and non‑financial matters). Must be able to interpret and evaluate forecasts to establish production plans, assess demand versus capacity constraints, and evaluate the impact of new products on plant load. Requires frequent analysis of product mix, service level, and product quality, ability to work in a multitask, ever‑changing environment while maintaining flexibility to meet plant commitments and goals, extensive interaction with vendors, customers, product development centers, partner organizations, and planning centers, and creativity, innovation, and decisiveness to resolve business‑process, planning, project‑execution, and communication issues. Demonstrates total commitment to quality and high standards during continuous change, prioritizes own and team work in line with business demands, and SAP experience is required.

Location: North Chicago, Illinois.