Planning & Procurement Manager at Oterra in Mount Pleasant, WI

Company Description

Join Oterra in making natural food and beverages easy, for a sustainable and healthy world.

Headquartered in Denmark, with production sites in Europe, Latin America, and the US, we’re a passionate team of over 1400 team members in 30 countries worldwide, serving 120 markets globally. As the leading worldwide provider of natural colors, we offer food and beverage manufacturers an alternative to artificial colors. Food and health are at the heart of everything we do and every day over 400 million people eat a product with our colors in it.

Job Description

The Planning & Procurement Manager is responsible for leading and optimizing the end-to-end supply network across the Americas, balancing supply, capacity, inventory, service and cost in support of business objectives.

The role leads the Americas Network Planner and Procurement teams and reports directly to the Global Network Planning Manager. It is responsible for the execution and development of the Americas network within the global network strategy, priorities and decision framework established by the Global Network Planning Manager.

A key focus will be supporting the strategic scale up/growth. Growth of the company's natural food color portfolio in the Americas, ensuring the network, manufacturing capabilities, capacity and sourcing strategy are executed to support future demand.

Core Responsibilities

1. Americas Network Strategy & Optimization

• Lead the development and optimization of the Americas supply network in alignment with the global network strategy.
• Translate global priorities into regional supply, capacity, sourcing and deployment strategies.
• Evaluate capacity, manufacturing footprint, production flows, sourcing alternatives and inventory positioning.
• Identify opportunities to improve service, cost, working capital, flexibility and network resilience.
• Lead medium- and long-term network scenarios and provide clear recommendations to management.
• Identify future network and capacity requirements to support business growth, particularly natural food colors in North America.

2. Supply, Inventory & Procurement Strategy

• Lead regional supply and inventory planning across the Americas network.
• Ensure inventory and deployment strategies balance service, working capital and supply continuity.
• Lead and develop the Americas Procurement team, ensuring procurement priorities support network, service, cost and growth objectives.
• Identify and mitigate key supply, sourcing and capacity risks.
• Ensure effective integration between procurement, network planning and manufacturing.

3. Pigment Network Planning Leadership

• Lead the Americas Pigment Network Planning capability and develop the Americas Pigment Network Planner.
• Ensure consistent planning principles and methodologies across the Americas and global pigment network.
• Oversee constrained supply planning, deployment and cross-plant coordination for globally interconnected pigment families.
• Ensure Americas planning remains fully integrated with the global Pigment Network Planning process.

4. Scenario Planning & Strategic Projects

• Lead strategic and tactical network scenarios, evaluating capacity, cost, service and inventory trade-offs.
• Provide recommendations and decision support for S&OP / IBP and senior management.
• Lead network readiness for new products, product conversions and portfolio growth in the Americas.
• Develop network strategies to support the transition toward natural food colors and expected US growth.
• Drive closure of significant supply and network gaps.

5. Global Network Integration & Governance

• Execute the Americas network strategy in alignment with the global network strategy, priorities and decision framework established by the Global Network Planning Manager.
• Provide the Americas perspective, analysis and recommendations to support global network planning and decision-making.
• Identify and communicate regional opportunities, risks and issues with potential cross-regional or global impact.
• Ensure Americas planning and procurement activities follow established global standards, processes and KPIs.
• Participate in global network reviews and implement agreed global decisions within the Americas.
• Maintain close collaboration with the Global Network Planning Manager and other network planning teams to ensure an integrated global network.

6. S&OP / IBP, Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Represent the Americas supply network in relevant S&OP / IBP processes.
• Provide visibility of capacity, supply risks, inventory and network trade-offs.
• Monitor regional network and procurement KPIs and drive corrective actions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives across network planning and procurement.
• Leverage SAP S/4, PP/DS, IBP, Excel and Power BI to improve planning, analytics and decision-making.

Main Key Performance Indicators

• Americas OTIF / service level
• Supply plan accuracy and adherence.
• Inventory turns, days of supply and obsolescence.
• Network cost-to-serve.
• Capacity utilization and constraint management
• Procurement cost efficiency
• Supply risk mitigation.
• Plan stability
• Delivery of strategic network initiatives
• Network readiness to support business growth.

Leadership & Core Competencies

• Strategic supply chain and network planning mindset
• Strong understanding of complex, multi-site manufacturing networks
• Strong analytical, financial and problem-solving capabilities
• Ability to balance regional requirements with global objectives.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Leadership and people development capability.
• Ability to operate effectively across cultures, functions and geographies.
• Change management and continuous improvement mindset.
• Ability to translate complex issues into clear business recommendations.
• Strong communication skills, including with senior leadership.
• Ability to work effectively across time zones in a global organization.

Location & Travel

Location: Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin

The role has regional responsibility for the Americas and requires close collaboration with global teams and manufacturing sites across the Americas and Europe.

Travel to manufacturing sites, suppliers and key stakeholders is required as needed up to 30% of working time.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Business or related field.
• Significant experience in supply chain, network planning, S&OP / IBP, manufacturing planning or related disciplines.
• Experience in complex, multi-site manufacturing environments.
• Experience in strategic network planning, capacity planning and/or supply chain optimization.
• Experience leading or developing teams; direct people management experience strongly preferred.
• Experience working across regions and cultures in a global organization.
• Procurement experience or strong understanding of procurement processes preferred.
• Experience in food ingredients, specialty chemicals, colors, natural products or related industries is an advantage.
• Strong analytical capabilities and experience with ERP/MRP and planning systems.
• Willingness to travel as required.

Additional Information

What We Offer

At Oterra, we take care of our people – because when you’re supported, you can do your best work. Our benefits are designed to support your health, your future and your life outside of work:

• Health & Well-being: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus life and disability insurance.
• Financial Security: A retirement savings program with 401(k), company match, and bonus program.
• Time for You: Paid holidays, vacation time, and personal/sick days each year.
• Engagement in the Workplace: Monthly employee engagement events and team celebrations
• Growth & Empowerment: A collaborative culture that encourages career growth and professional development opportunities

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Oterra is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, ancestry, national origin, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status (unless required by the applicable law or government contract), disability or protected veteran status or any other status or characteristic protected by law. Oterra is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are committed to building a team that represents diverse and inclusive backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. Oterra will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.