Inventory and Demand Planning Manager

Job Title: Inventory & Demand Planning Manager

Reports to: VP of Strategy & Operations

Location: Modesto, CA (Hybrid may be considered)

Salary: $100-140K. Eligible for a performance bonus. Base range dependent on experience and skillset.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly analytical, hands-on Inventory & Demand Planning Manager to lead and transform our inventory and demand planning functions, with a primary focus on paper roll stock inventory. This role is critical in shaping a scalable, data-driven approach to managing inventory levels, forecasting demand, and supporting an effective Sales, Inventory & Operations Planning (SIOP) process.

The ideal candidate will bring both strategic vision and tactical execution to mature our current practices, implement best-in-class tools and methodologies, and ensure we maintain optimal inventory levels that meet customer demand while minimizing working capital.

What Makes You a Good Fit

Pacific Southwest Container is a 50-year-old, family-owned paper packaging manufacturer that has thrived through an unyielding commitment to growth and staying on the cutting edge of the industry. Our people have enabled us to do this by being bold, taking action, driving initiatives, and maintaining a start-up mentality. PSC has established a culture where the status quo is never settled for, and we constantly look for the next opportunity to propel the business. We believe that there is an opportunity now to further leverage best-in-class practices to improve our inventory and demand planning and bring greater sophistication to our SIOP process.

The right person for this role knows what a world-class inventory and demand planning process looks like and is excited about the opportunity to bring that approach to a company entering a new phase of growth and transformation. Success in this position will lead to additional opportunities within PSC as we pursue inorganic and organic growth, and we continue to look to cultivate leaders to manage critical parts of the business.

Duties and Responsibilities

Inventory Planning & Optimization

• Develop and implement inventory strategies for paper roll stock and other materials (inks, pallets, etc.).
• Define and maintain appropriate service levels, safety stock, reorder points, and inventory targets.
• Optimize stock levels across multiple plants to reduce obsolescence and bloated inventory.
• Analyze usage trends, lead times, and vendor variability to inform inventory decisions.
• Partner with procurement to assess supplier impact on inventory planning.

Demand Planning

• Build a scalable, repeatable demand planning process, starting with basic forecasting and maturing toward more advanced models.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, and Finance to develop rolling demand forecasts (monthly, quarterly, annual).
• Analyze historical sales, customer data, seasonality, and promotional activity to improve forecast accuracy.

SIOP Process Leadership

• Play a key role in maturing the SIOP process across the organization.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment between sales, operations, and supply chain to balance supply and demand.
• Prepare and present inventory and demand-related insights in SIOP meetings.

Tooling & Process Development

• Identify, recommend, and implement planning tools (e.g., Excel-based models, planning software, dashboards) appropriate for our scale and complexity.
• Develop KPIs and reporting mechanisms to monitor forecast accuracy, inventory turns, fill rates, and stockouts.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as a key partner to Procurement, Production Planning, Sales, and Plant Operations.
• Support vendor assessments with data on delivery performance, variability, and impact on inventory.

Key Attributes

• You’re a builder. You thrive in environments where processes and tools are limited or evolving, and you're excited to establish foundational systems from the ground up.
• You balance detail and strategy. You can dig into the data, build a model, and also step back to recommend operational policies or long-term planning improvements.
• You communicate well across functions. You can translate analytical insights into operational actions and influence stakeholders in Procurement, Operations, and Sales.
• You understand manufacturing dynamics. You appreciate the tradeoffs between cost, lead time, space constraints, and service levels, especially in a materials-heavy business like ours.
• You want to make a lasting impact. You take pride in improving systems and leaving things better than you found them.

Qualifications

Required

• 7+ years of experience in inventory planning, demand planning, or supply chain roles.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Supply Chain, Business, or a related field.
• Experience in manufacturing or distribution environments; ideally in packaging, pulp & paper, or similar materials-heavy industries.
• Familiarity with ERP systems and inventory modules; experience selecting or implementing planning tools/software.
• Strong Excel skills; experience building or using planning models.
• Demonstrated ability to improve or build planning processes from scratch.
• Understanding of supply chain fundamentals: lead times, EOQ, safety stock, reorder points, etc.

Preferred

• Experience with paper roll stock or other bulky raw materials.
• Exposure to, or leadership of, SIOP/IBP processes.
• APICS certification (CPIM, CSCP) or equivalent a plus.
• Advanced degree in Supply Chain Management or related fields.